Learning To Forgive
by Fify4Scandal
Summary: Fitz does something unthinkable which he immediately regrets. Will he be able to undo the damage he has done to his family. *Scandal and its characters Belongs To Shonda and ABC*
1. Chapter 1

Learning to Forgive

Fitz stood at the door, leaning against the door frame. He watched the king sized bed that now housed his wife's tiny frame. She was under the duvet but he could tell she was lying there in foetal position. Her face partially buried in the plush pillow. Fitz had his shirt buttons undone part way down his chest. He was in black slacks with no shoes on. He was holding his tie that he had just pulled off his neck. His heart reverberated in loud resounding thuds against his chest. He felt like he was slowly falling apart. He gently walked up to the bed. Without taking his clothes off, he pulled the duvet open, and slid close up to his wife. He hesitated touching her at first, not knowing what her response was going to be.

After a few moment of silent debate he went for it. He reached out to stroke his wife up and down her arm. Then he heard it. A sniffle. She wasn't sleeping. She was silently crying. Fitz didn't know what to do, how to stop the pain which, unfortunately, he had caused her.

"Livvie"

"Liv". His voice was breaking. He felt ashamed and embarrassed. He had put them in this position. He had messed up the good thing they had.

"Livvie, please. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry".

He was pleading. He would plead and beg until she told him they'd be ok.

"Fitz, I don't... I don't know what you want from me, what you expect from me right now".

"Livie please. Just talk to me. I'm sorry".

"Fitz, I'm done arguing with you today. I'm tired and I don't want to talk anymore. I'm worn out. Please just let me be".

She moved her arm out of his reach. Her tears continued to fall onto her pillow. She was devastated. She was torn. She loved Fitz with all her heart and he had basically taken what they had and flushed it down the toilet. His close proximity was messing with her mind because she didn't want him anywhere near her but at the same time she wanted his comfort. He was her best friend and now their trust was broken.

Fitz couldn't think of being without her. He waited a few minutes and moved closer to her still.

"Livvie. I can't lose you. I'm not losing you. I love you".

At his declaration, she turned around and glared at him, tears and all.

"Don't say that to me. Don't you even dare say that to me. Not right now. Not like this. I don't want to hear it.

We were good. Well at least I was foolish enough to believe we were great. But obviously you didn't think so. And what are you sorry for anyway? Is it that you slept with Anna or is it that I found out about it?"

Before he could answer….

"You need to sleep in the guest room Fitz".

"No Livvie I can't. I'm not leaving. I'm not letting you push me away".

She sat up straight, looking away from him. She let her feet touch the floor and she got up.

"Ok then, if you won't go I will. Please don't follow me".

With that Olivia left her bedroom.

Fitz was left lying there on his marital bed. Wondering how he had gotten himself into such a situation. He let the tears run free down the sides of his face, wetting his pillow. Heaving sobs began to escape him. For a while he cried. He was angry, angry at himself, angry at the world but mostly angry at himself. Anna was nothing, meant nothing, not a single bit to him. He couldn't even explain why he went to her.

Olivia slept in the guest room across from her two twin boys rooms. She knew there was no way she was going to be able to sleep. She cried until she had no strength left. She tried to think of what she had done to make her husband stray. Where had she missed it. What wasn't she doing. What had she gotten so wrong. She felt sorry for herself but that feeling wrestled with bolts of anger. She was angry that he betrayed her. She was angry that he spared no thought for their vows, their promises to each other, for their two beautiful boys, all for a stupid office fling, if she were to believe his confession. She was angry that she could never again walk into his office building without feeling like everyone was laughing at her stupidity behind her back. But most of all she hated him and was angry at him for making her doubt herself. For making her second guess herself, for taking away her self-assuredness and replacing it with complete doubt. He had destroyed her sense of balance, her confidence in the life that she had built with him. He had destroyed what she thought she knew to be true and suddenly what she thought she was certain about became a blur of doubt. She didn't know if she'd be able to forgive him for that.

With those plaguing thoughts she finally fell into a fitful sleep.

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Fitz was woken up on the next morning by two little bodies that were cuddling up to him. He looked from side to side. His little boys Benjamin Bailey and Brandon Brady were identical twins. They had brown shoulder length curly hair. They both had their fathers blues eyes which were, however shaped like Olivia's. They had their mums button nose. They were difficult to tell apart from birth that even their parents got them mixed up at times. It was only when Benjamin's hair started getting streaks of blonde that their parents didn't have so much trouble separating them anymore.

"Hey guys". Fitz said to them with a partial yawn. He kissed their foreheads.

"Hi daddy". Benjamin replied.

Fitz heard a few sniffles and looked down at Brandon whose tears were watering Fitzs shirt.

"Hey Brandon sweetheart why are you crying?". Fitz gently enquired.

"It's because we heard you and mum fighting when you were in the lounge", Benjamin informed his father.

"Daddy...are...are...are you going away?" Brandon asked between heaves.

Fitz held his boys as tightly as he could without crushing them. With tears brimming in his eyes, he swallowed hard and tried not to let them fall. This was all his fault. When he led Anna to that hotel room he wasn't thinking about this. He hadn't thought of the devastation it would cause his sons. He hadn't thought of the consequences.

" I'm sorry you had to hear us argue but no, I'm not going away, I love you both very much".

"D...d...do you love mummy?" Brandon looked at his father, waiting for an answer with baited breath.

" I love mummy with all my heart, she's my best friend. But sometimes friends fight but they don't stop loving each other. Just like sometimes you two fight but you still love each other right?"

"Yes daddy" they both answered.

"Ok, are you guys ok now?"

"We're ok dad. We love you" Benjamin said with confidence that was beyond his four years. He was protective of Brandon. He reminded Fitz of Olivia. He was so assertive and strong but also quite stubborn. Well, the stubbornness he could have gotten from either of them. Brandon was more methodical. More chilled out. He was like Fitz. Both boys were fiercely intelligent and the cutest combination of both Fitz and Liv.

"I love you both so very much", answered Fitz, getting choked up.

Just outside their bedroom door sat Olivia. She had been listening to the entire conversation. She knew the boys would be in there when she had peeked into their rooms and neither of them were there. Tears ran down her face. She never wanted her children to have any doubts of their parents love or unity. She never wanted any of that uncertainty for them. They were only kids. She couldn't help but be mad at Fitz. He did this to them, he messed with their beautiful unit. Olivia was glad the boys were talking to their father. She doubted she would be able to keep it together in front of them had they come to her.

She didn't want Fitz to leave but she needed space from him, space to clear her mind. She needed time to process everything. She needed to talk to someone. She needed Abby.

Olivia got up off the floor and quickly went to shower in the guest bathroom. She made her way back to her bedroom to get dressed, while trying to avoid Fitz although she couldn't really. She had to keep up appearances for the boys. When she looked over to the bed she saw her little ones had fallen back asleep. It was only 7:30 on a Saturday after all. Fitz opened his eyes, looked over at his wife who looked at him blankly.

"Hi" he whispered.

She stood there for a moment, her face slightly softening, gaining a somewhat readable expression. But that lasted only a slight moment. In a flash her face was blank again. She didn't answer him. She went into their closet and pulled out a pair of jeans and a simple white t-shirt. She put on a pair of comfortable flats. She wasn't in the mood for putting in much of an effort. She brushed her hair back, put on lip gloss, took her hand bag and made for the door.

She stopped in her tracks when she heard,

"Mummy".

It was Benjamin calling out to her. She looked over at the bed.

"Hi little one, hi my boy". Olivia walked over to the bed. She planted her knees on the bed and leaned over to get closer to Ben, who lay in his father's arm as did Brandon on Fitz's other side. She stroked his hair and gave him a multitude of kisses.

"Ewww, mummy stop" Ben giggled.

On the other side of Fitz, Brandon's head popped up. He scrambled over his father to reach his mother. Liv was now sitting on the bed, right next to Fitz.

" mummy", Brendan hummed as he threw himself into his mother's arms. She stroked his back gently. She looked at his tiny face that was partially covered in unruly curls.

"Hey my boy"

She gave him numerous kisses too. He yelped and laughed out loud, squirming to get his tiny face away from his mother's kisses.

"Mummy you're the best" Benjamin said, with a breathless giggle.

She held them both to herself, savouring the intimate moment.

Fitz was looking at his wife. Hoping to get some kind of acknowledgement thrown his way, even in the slightest way possible to reassure him that he still had her. He took a gamble and reached out to stroke her arm that was wrapped around Brandon.

She felt his touch and cringed , quickly pulling away from him. She hoped the boys didn't notice. She had nothing to say to him. She gave him a deathly glare. His eyes swimming with tears. She didn't want to see his tears. She didn't want to feel any kind of sympathetic emotions towards him. She needed to get away from him.

"Ok you guys, today mummy's going to let you have some special boy time with daddy ok, so I'll leave you guys to have fun with dad ok".

She knew she didn't sound as confident as she wanted to. On Saturdays they usually spent the day together as a family. They would have a big family breakfast, the boys would help Fitz wash the cars, together, they would all play in the garden, or sometimes go to the park, or a theme park or local market. They would paint, they would read, they would watch a movie together which usually ended up with the whole family falling asleep together on the large couch. It was their family ritual.

"But mummy, today is family day", Brandon's eyes started to water.

" I know it is honey but I thought it would fun for you guys to have a boys day, how about that, you can spend the day with dad and do whatever boys like to do without girls". Liv tried to coax them.

"Mummy... don't you like spending time with us anymore. Because we don't like boys day, we like family day",

Fitz realised it was getting harder for Liv to keep it together so he jumped in,

"Ok boys, how about this, we let mummy go out for a few hours and we can still have family day a bit later. You'll still get to do the things we do together anyway. I'll make us breakfast. We will wash the cars. And mummy will be back soon. How about that?"

Brandon looked from one parent to the other. He didn't like this deal but it was better than nothing.

"Only if daddy you give mummy a kiss before she goes". The little boy said.

"Yeah, because when we fight you always tell us to hug it out so you guys need to hug it out". Benjamin chimed in cleverly.

Olivia wasn't ready to be in such a position with Fitz again but two very eager pairs of eyes were on both of them. She knew there was no way out of it. She wasn't willing to disappoint her boys.

Fitz wasn't sure of himself. He wasn't sure what to do. He knew this was the boys request but he also knew Liv didn't want him anywhere near her.

"We are waitingggg", Ben mimicked his mother's way of speaking when she said it to them. Brandon laughed. It was the sweetest thing. Sadly they had no idea they were asking for one of the hardest things of her at that moment.

Fitz bit the bullet, he sat up, leaned in towards Olivia, held her face with one hand. His thumb quickly caught the tear that escaped her eye before the boy noticed. He looked deep in her eyes. Trying to convey in that small moment how deeply sorry he was and how much he regretted his actions.

As gently as he could, he touched his lips to hers. It was a tender moment. She wanted to unravel right there because as much as she was hurting she needed him. He was her comfort. He held her close and whispered in her ear, "I'm sorry baby, I'm so sorry".

She pulled away from him, kissed her little boys, took her bag and left the house.


	2. Chapter 2

Learning To Forgive

Chapter 2

Fitz allowed the boys to fall back to sleep. He got up and had a quick shower. He made himself a snack then sat alone on one of the kitchen bar stools. He stared out the window contemplating his current situation. If he was honest with himself, he deserved everything that Olivia could throw at him. If she left and took his boys he deserved it. If she divorced him and took him for half of what he had, he deserved it although he would fight tooth and nail not to let her leave him. If she cut off his balls and shoved them down his throat, he deserved it. He thought of his foolish actions.

Anna.

She worked on the 19th floor, two floors below his. Fitz ran the Grant Oil Company on the 21st floor. He was the owner and CEO. He was a third generation owner of the company, his grandfather having started it from the ground up. As an only child his parents passed the company on to him when his father retired five years earlier. He was a privileged and powerful man but he didn't like the lime light. People hardly knew who he was. He still used his father's pictures to promote the company. He liked the quiet life he shared with his family.

Anna

The image of her face passed through his memory. He squeezed his eyelids shut as though the act could kick her out of his brain. The attempt failed. He sat there full of self-loathing and regret.

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_She was a young slender thing who worked for Halloway Legal. She was a personal assistant to one of the lawyers there, Edison Davis. Halloway Legal and Grant Oil had business together. They were Grant Oils main legal team. It was during a conference between the two companies a month earlier that Fitz had noticed her. He was not a man with a roving eye but she was definitely easy on the eyes. But he was happy at home. His wife was amazing and there was nothing he would do to jeopardise that relationship. Anna was a new face and he soon dismissed any further thoughts of her. There had since been a few more meeting where she was present. He noticed her wink at him, smile at him more brightly than she did with others. In their last conference she had worn her skirt a little shorter than usual, an extra button was undone on her blouse. Fitz was flattered but he was used to this kind of attention, so he brushed it off. In his lifetime, many women had thrown themselves at him, some quite unashamedly. His looks and the response they elicited were just something he had learnt to deal with. He wasn't arrogant, but it was what it was._

_It was on Monday when she had walked into the ground floor elevator behind him. She stood in front of him facing the closing elevator doors that had wall to wall mirrors on them. She wore a green body shaping dress that held her figure just right. The seams of her black stockings ran in straight lines down her calves leading to her 4 inch heel shoe encased feet. Her breasts strained against the fabric of her dress. Fitz found himself feeling uncomfortable, his friend south of his belt was starting to protest, betraying his moral sensibilities. There was definitely a charge in the small box in which they stood as it continued to rise floor after floor. Fitz found himself fidgeting, unable to keep calm._

_"Nice to see you Mr. Grant", she finally said when they were going past the 5th floor. It was early in the morning and a very few people were in the building. It was just the two of them in the elevator._

_'Its going to be a long ride' Fitz thought to himself._

_"Hello..."_

_Fitz gruffly responded, his voice temporarily getting caught in his throat, his eye catching hers for a moment._

_"Anna, my name is Anna" she smiled at him through the mirror, her tone taking a sultry note. He looked back at her. "Well hello Anna, nice to meet you"._

_"Oh, we've met quite a number of times before this Mr. Grant."_

_"I know, you work for Holloway", Fitz gave her a simple smile. He carried his coat in front of him, trying to hide the treacherous bulge that was threatening it's unwelcome appearance._

_'What the hell is going on down there', he inwardly chastised his penis. He closed his eyes and allowed images of Livvie and his boys to flood his mind. He could feel himself start to relax and snap out of his moment of madness._

_When he opened his eyes he was surprised to see Anna having turned around, standing quite close to him with only a few inches separating them._

_"See anything you like Mr. Grant?", she said in her sexiest voice possible._

_Fitz stood there, stunned at her brazenness. She took a fraction of a step closer to him. They still had 5 more floors to go and Fitz had never wished an elevator could move faster in his life. As beautiful as she was, as physically sexy as she was, this was not where he wanted to be._

_"Umm, I'm married". He lifted his left hand to show her his 24 carat white gold wedding ring._

_She didn't seem phased._

_She tilted her head to the side, "Oh Mr Grant, that doesn't concern me, we can just have some fun, wouldn't you like to have a little bit of fun". She spoke confidently but submissively as she seductively stroked her scoop necked collar._

_Fitz hated that his dick jumped in his pants._

_"I think you've arrived..."_

_The elevator slowed down to a stop. Anna winked at Fitz. She turned around and walked out into her place of employment, but not before chiming, "see you around Mr Grant, remember my offer, just a little fun"._

_That was on Monday._

_Fitz had tried hard to banish thoughts of 'Anna from the elevator' from his mind. A few times after their encounter he had caught himself imagining what she looked like naked, where those stockings led to. A flash of her brunette hair tumbling over her shoulder in the throes of passion..._

_It was getting out of hand. He knew he couldn't afford to see her again. He didn't know what had gotten into him. He wasn't unhappy sexually. Liv was still as sexy as when they had first met ten years ago, and even more so now. She was a goddess to him. He would never trade her for anything. She had filled his lonely life with love and friendship. She had given him two beautiful sons. He was riddled with guilt at thinking of another woman's naked writhing body. He had never cheated on anyone his whole life and he wasn't about to start now. At the age of forty, he had everything he ever wanted and more. He was content. He didn't need anything, especially not this sort of complication. So he made a point to avoid Anna at all costs. He didn't attend the Tuesday meeting with Davis her boss. He made sure to get to work a little later than usual when the building would be teaming with people. This newly formulated plan of his had worked out on Tuesday and Wednesday and on Thursday he was getting the hang of it and feeling successful._

_On Thursday evening Fitz left the office, as he usually did, to spend some time in the company gym at the basement of the building. He loved to keep fit and maintain his toned body as much as he could. He did his cardio, his weight lifts and had a swim. When he was ready to leave he went to take a shower. He was the only one in the shower room. The gym had emptied out. It was how he liked it. He liked spending some time alone with his own thoughts. He sang to himself in the shower until he heard the door open and close._

_"John, is that you?" Fitz chuckled, "who comes to the gym at 9 when everyone else has left or is leaving. They're closing in an hour you know that right?" John was his deputy. They'd been friends and business partners since leaving university. Fitz turned the water off and pulled his towel off the frosted shower door._

_"John...?"_

_"It's not John". Her voice resounded in the shower room._

_"Shit" Fitz muttered to himself._

_"What are you doing here? You need to leave". He said with firmness to his voice._

_He saw her figure standing on the other side of the shower door. "Anna...I'm a happily married man, I don't need your kind of fun, so thanks but no thanks"._

_Suddenly Fitz felt vulnerable. He was naked, with just a towel covering his manhood, the only thing separating him from this seemingly hungry woman was a sliding glass door._

_"Why don't you come out of there Mr Grant, I don't bite, or maybe I do". She said, almost mockingly, like she was talking to a small shy boy. He felt himself get irritated. He slid the shower door open. There she stood, still in her work attire which composed of a tight red skirt, and a loose black chemise tucked in. She wore netted black stockings, her hair was pinned up exposing her neck. The red and black contrasted well with her pale flesh. She looked fresh, pretty and unfortunately, as sexy as hell._

_Fitz stood up straight in front of her, a six foot two mass of strapping musculature of manliness. He wanted to shove her out of the way and get the hec out of there and get home to family as quickly as his SUV could take him. However the man inside him, the one that knew a challenge when he saw one wanted to shove her against the wall and shut her up with his lips. He was a man after all, not a boy and there she stood with a taunting smirk on her face. She couldn't have been more than 26. He could see it in her eyes. She thought she had sexual prowess, she thought she could intimidate him._

_"What do you want?" He said, with a lowered voice that was as cold as steel. He saw a flash of fear in her eyes but it quickly passed. He went to his bag that was on the floor, checked for messages on his phone and slyly turned on the recorder. She straightened herself up, following him and looked directly in his magnificent blue eyes when he rose from his bag._

_"I'm not a child Mr Grant. I'm a grown woman. I know what I want."_

_"And what exactly is it you want….. me?"_

_"For right now, yes, and you can do whatever you want to me Mr Grant"._

_"And what if I don't want anything from you? Which I don't, so you better leave"._

_She made a swift move towards him, shoving him up against the wall, immediately pulling his towel off._

_Again, Fitz's manhood betrayed him, his blood surging right down causing him to harden almost instantly._

_Anna's smirked widened to a smile. "Well Mr. Grant, someone begs to differ"_

_Her hand went straight to his member, stroking it. Fitz was annoyed, he was pissed off, he was turned on. He grabbed her by the waist, roughly turned her around, bent her over the sink, pushing her face away from him. He yanked her skirt up, ripped her stockings off, together with her skimpy thong. He didn't care for the yelp of pleasure and pain that sounded from her mouth. He surged into her unceremoniously. "Is this what you want, is this what you came for..." his voice a rumbling growl, almost menacing._

_"Yes,yes,yes..." she repeated over and over as he speedily and frantically hammered into her. It wasn't sweet, it wasn't kind, he wasn't making love to her, there were no emotions involved. It was animalistic. It was purely sex. He had one hand at her waist and the other at her throat as he came hard._

_It didn't even last 10 minutes. He slipped himself out of her, breathing heavily. He immediately hated himself. She pulled her skirt back down, smiled at him and said: "See, that was easy, until next time Mr Grant, and don't worry, I'm protected". _

_He went to his locker and got dressed. He picked up his gym bag from the floor, next to the sink, threw his towel in it and walked out of the shower room. He didn't realise her torn up thong had landed in his bag. He didn't care about Anna and what happened to her. Waves of guilt washed over him. He heard her heels stomp towards the exit door that led to the parking lot. She got what she wanted. And he was the fool that had refused to back down from a challenge and now he had put his whole life on the line._

_His plan to avoid her had well and truly been shot to hell._

_Fitz went back to his office. He sat there for a long while. He couldn't believe what he had just done. He couldn't face going home to his wife. How was he going to look at Liv ever again? How was he going to touch her, how was he going to make love to her? He had messed up and messed up big. He hadn't even used protection. What if Anna got pregnant, what if she had some disease, she seemed like she got around, he would make a doctors appointment. What if she was a bunny boiler psycho? Had he just introduced this turmoil into his family? If he could turn back time, he definitely would._

_Fitz checked his phone, it had lost power and turned off. He put his coat on, picked up his brief case and his gym bag and made his way home as slowly as he possibly could, hoping to find Liv asleep._

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**I had a real debate in my mind on whether to make it a hotel romp or something dirty and really meaningless. I went with the latter. Hope it's still enjoyable. X**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Later That Fateful Thursday Night

_Fitz walked into his beautiful New York brownstone home. It was nearly 11pm on Thursday night. He slowly trudged his way up to their bedroom. He wondered if Livvie was asleep, he hoped she was. He didn't think he could hide his guilt. She would probably see right through his eyes into his 'cheating ass' soul. He was relieved to find the bedroom lights off. He quietly dropped his bag and brief case in his closet and grabbed a pair of PJs and his old Navy t-shirt. He made his way to the guest room shower where he scrubbed himself until his skin felt raw. He needed her smell off his body, he needed her juices off his balls, he needed her voice out of his ears. He needed to be clean again. If only the water could erase that whole day._

_About 40 minutes later he stepped out of the shower and dried himself off. He put on his pjs and went to his room. He could see his beautiful wife lying there in total serenity. She could never know what he did. He didn't want to destroy that beautiful peacefulness that surrounded her. He crept up to the bed, pulled down the covers and curled up next to his wife._

_At her husband's touch, Liv cozied up to him, fitting herself snugly into his frame. She let out an audible sigh. It was a sound of contentment. It always amazed him how she could sense him even in her sleep._

_He draped his arm around her waist, holding her closely, tight, as though trying to savour every moment of peace before the dam levies shattered._

_"Mmmh, I missed you tonight, you were late". She murmured groggily._

_"I know honey, I'm sorry, I just had a few extra things to do at the office". He said gently, a little bit of him dying at his lies. He hoped she didn't sense it._

_Olivia turned around, wrapping her arm around him, laying her head on his chest. For a moment he tensed up. She felt it._

_"Honey..? Are you ok?" She enquired, kissing his chest and slowly stroking him up and down his torso._

_He cleared his throat, looking for the right words, "I'm fine honey, just glad to be home with you", It was the truth. "How were the boys today?"_

_"Oh, they did great. They did some art at school, you'll find most of it in your office downstairs. Some of it didn't make sense to me and when I asked them about it they said 'it's abstat art mummy', Olivia laughed, "you should have been there, I should have recorded it, it was one of the funniest things ever, those boys"_

_"They're something aren't they?" Fitz mused._

_"Mmh hmm", Liv kissed his earlobe, his jaw, his chin and made her way to his lips. She leaned over him and gave him the simplest, most gentle of kisses on his lips. Fitz held her face in his hands. He was suddenly very quiet and serious._

_"Fitz... what's going on?"_

_"Nothing Livvie, I just want you to know that I love you, more than anything. I love our boys. Thank you for them. Thank you for taking time out of work to be with them as you've done. Thanks for being an amazing wife. I couldn't ask for anything more. I love you so much". The light filtering onto their bodies from the lights outside showed his tear filled eyes._

_"Fitz, I love you too, I love you so much. And thank you for your love". An unsettled feeling came over Olivia. There was something he wasn't telling her but she wouldn't push him. Instead she lifted herself above him, straddling him. She kissed him on his forehead, on his nose, she soon found his lips. He kissed her back with unbridled passion, taking her breath away. His tongue searched hers out, she complied, giving him her tongue, her touch, her body._

_His hands were searching her skin, running over her back, onto her bum, beneath her silk teddy, along her sides and onto her beautiful breasts that fit perfectly into his palms. His kisses lingered on her lips, on the earlobe where he tugged at her flesh with his teeth, on her throat, all the way down in between her twin peaks. He quickly pulled off her teddy as she pulled off his navy t-shirt. His flesh was exposed to her. She kissed him all over his chest, licked and toyed with his nipples. Their actions were gentle yet passion filled. He turned them over so he was on top of her. He sucked on her breasts, one after the other, again and again, twirling his tongue over each nipple, until both were firm and pointed, rubbing against his chest, making her whimper. He was a man on a mission. He took his time. He was precise, he was emotional. He was guilty._

_He was also as hard as a rock._

_Livvie was writhing beneath him, her fingernails digging into his shoulders, into his back, her hands pushing down his pj pants and grabbing onto his firm naked ass. He was breathing heavily, grunting, and even whimpering at nearly every touch of her hands. Their hips were grinding onto each other's. It was a slow rhythm. Liv thought she might just die at the level of sensation she was going through. Fitz wanted to savour every moment. He didn't know what tomorrow would hold._

_"Fitz, baby...I want you". She was gasping. She longed for him._

_"I'm all yours baby, I'm yours, you can have me". He whispered in her ear, his voice a raspy mixture of love and lust. And guilt._

_At his words, she hooked her toes to his pants and pushed them down his legs, until he kicked them off. His erection was set free. He kissed her down her stomach, spending some time at the remnants of her c-section scar. He moved further down, giving her feather light kisses, making her quiver. He hooked his fingers into her silk shorts slowly pulling them down her slender legs. She was fully exposed to him and she didn't care. He was hers as she was his. He owned all of her and vice versa. He closed his eyes to savour her scent._

_A flash of Anna went through his mind. Her smell suddenly invading him like a bad dream. For a moment Liv thought she felt him freeze but her desire and her passion for him were too overwhelming for her to care. He pushed the image away and made his way back up his wife. Her legs wrapped around his waist, her sex grinding onto his fully engorged member, her slickness coating him in her essence. She was more than ready. Fitz looked deep in her eyes. He held her face in both his hands, kissing her gently._

_"I love you Livvie, I love you so much, don't you ever doubt it ok?"_

_He said it with a shaky voice. A lone tear slid down his face._

_"I love you Fitz, I love you",_

_"Mmhhh...aaaaahhh" she moaned as he slid into her slowly, gently. He would never tire of the sounds she made when they made love. Her hands grabbed onto his backside, needing him to go deeper. Fitz lifted his hips up and down, sliding himself in and out of his wife. They both looked down their joint bodies, watching him enter and nearly exit her body rhythmically. It was intoxicating for both of them. Sometimes she wondered how her tiny five foot four self was able to take him in. He was big, in more ways than one, but she loved his size, he knew what to do with it._

_Their love making was slow and sensual. Fitz lavished her with gentle kisses. He looked deep in her eyes and she returned his gaze. It was as though he was looking into her very soul. He hadn't looked at her that way in a very long time. It stripped her bare and lay her wide open for him to see. She looked in his beautiful blue eyes, her fingers lost in his hair. He had the look of love, of lust, adoration and something else she couldn't pinpoint but it was intense. They kissed each other languidly, their tongues meeting before their lips did, their eyes open under heavy lids, gazing into each other, their bodies in constant movement against one another, their legs intertwined, locking them together._

_Their love making that night wasn't playful as it usually was, it wasn't trying to get each other off as it constantly was but it was powerful and it was strong. It turned them both inside out. She felt him everywhere all at once. He was heavy on her and she savoured everything about him, his voice, his skin, his heat, the way he licked, kissed and bit her neck, the things he said. She was small and fragile beneath him, yet she was a bright shining lighthouse to his lost soul. They clung to each other, in no rush to end their bliss, sweat dripping from their bodies, everything feeling like slow motion._

_"I love you baby...ahhhh...I love you so much...mmh", he murmured, his thrusts were getting firmer, faster, nearing the end._

_"Mmhh...I ...aaaaahhh...love...aahh...you...oh...my...baby...". She was whimpering, gasping for air, moaning and groaning until they both fell over the edge together. They hung onto each other's bodies, still rocking back and forth until the waves of their orgasms and the jerking of their bodies stilled. He looked at her, kissed her and continued to whisper words of love to her, while still embedded within her. A tear ran down her face and he caught it with his lips. His actions rendered her emotional and speechless and even more in love with him than she thought possible. After some time had passed, he pulled out of her and lay beside her, pulling her into a spooning position, foregoing the cleaning up process because they didn't care. He wanted to keep her scent all over him for as long as he could. Liv drifted off into a night of joyful, peaceful sleep while Fitz lay awake, allowing the weight of his actions earlier that night to truly sink in._

_What was he going to do?_

Xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xX

**Writing an actual love scene turned out to be quite a challenge. I hope this chapter does a good job of portraying Fitz's emotional state. Enjoy**


	4. Chapter 4

_So sorry for the delay, college demands my attention now._

Learning to Forgive

Chapter 4

Friday: The Sky Falls Down

Fitz lay on his bed with his wife in his arms. It was nearly 5am and he would soon have to leave for work. Trying to avoid Anna was pointless now. He had failed miserably in his initial attempt. He was going to have to find some way to deal with the mess he had made. He held Olivia close to himself. He looked at her. She looked so beautiful, so blissful. She had always been so enchanting to him. She had given him the best years of his life. Last night, the way they had made love, it had been the most intense thing he had ever felt. It was as though her soul had latched onto his, interweaving with his until there was not two but one person in the bed. Granted it was an act laced with guilt but to him it had not diminished the depth of absolute love he had for the woman in his arms. He still couldn't explain to himself why on earth he let Anna get the better of him. He still couldn't explain to himself why he would even look at another woman. He closed his eyes and tried to be in the present. He kissed Liv on her shoulder. She spooned in closer into his body, if that were at all possible. He wrapped his arm tighter around her waist. She didn't know it, but she was all that was holding his head above water in that moment. Many times he had thought of waking her up and confessing. 'It's always better to tell the truth', his mother had taught him that since childhood, 'It's much worse finding out from someone else' she would say. He wanted so badly to confess but he couldn't bear the thought of her hating him. He didn't want her to look at him with disgust and disdain. Mostly he didn't want her to hurt, he didn't want their perfect lives to fall apart. He closed his eyes.

Loser, coward.

He started to unwrap himself from Livvie. She stirred in her sleep, not wanting to lose her connection to him.

"Don't go, stay". She mumbled, a smile gracing her facial features, while her eyes were still closed.

He leaned on his elbow and kissed her temple then her cheek, trailing a route to her lips. She turned her head towards him and allowed their tongues to entangle in the age old dance of desire.

"Mmh, you're making me want to stay..."He smiled into more of her kisses. She was like a drug to him. He couldn't get enough. His hands were running over her naked body.

"Baby don't start things you can't finish.." Livvie said as her body began to respond to his touch.

"You feel me don't you?" He jutted his engorged member against her behind." You know I always finish what I start", he was kissing her at the nape of her neck and she was holding his hand, guiding his open palm over her breasts.

She stopped abruptly, turned around to face him. He was running his hand over her hip, over her ass, down the back of her thigh, pulling her leg over his waist, opening her up to him. The tip of his hardened member poised at her entrance. He was kissing her breathlessly, lost in the sensation of her very presence.

"Baby...is there something ...you want to ...tell me?" She asked him between kisses and gasps. The things his hands were doing to her as he ran his fingers over her naked flesh, she was wondering how she was even able to make up a whole sentence. But she was worried about her husband. There was something going on with him. She just wanted to be there for him.

Fitz paused. His actions came to a full stop. He felt like a bucket of ice cold water had been thrown over him. She was still nipping at his exposed flesh in her usual playfulness. She looked up at him, a little bit worried. He was wondering why she was asking. The weight of his guilt was like a ton on his chest. He averted his eyes from her gaze. She furrowed her eye brows because just then she knew for real there was something wrong.

"It's nothing Livvie, just the usual stress at work. We're digging new holes in the Gulf of Mexico and there are a lot of legal matters since the last oil spill by LexOil. It's just made things a bit harder". It's a half truth and he hates himself for it.

"Are you sure, because you've been through this stuff before and it's never been a problem? You would tell me if there was something else right?". She's looking at her husband with loving and supportive eyes. He feels like her beautiful browns are boring right into his soul. He's going to tell her, he's made up his mind. It's now or never. He closes his eyes, ready to shatter the wonderful existence he has known for the better part of his life. He strokes her cheek, he kisses her lips. He lingers there because he knows once he opens his mouth, things will change forever.

"Baby, I love you...I need to tell..."

"Mummy, daddy..."

The loud voices are accompanied by an insistent banging on their door just as Fitz's 5:30 alarm goes off. The noise could only be from two little people.

"Mmh, the twins, can we finish this later baby, you know they won't stop until one of us sees to them".Liv kisses him one last time and scrambles off the bed, throws on her robe and makes for the door.

Fitz collapses back onto the bed. His heart is like a bass drum in his chest. He thinks he might just drop dead because of anxiety.

'Shit', he exhales, clutching his chest. He searches for his pj pants on the floor and quickly slips them on just before two little bodies come barrelling towards him. He catches both his sons in his arms. He kisses their little faces and their giggling and squirming trying to get out of his hold. Fitz throws them on the bed and they are in a fit of giggles. Liv watches her three boys from a distance before she goes to join them on the bed.

Soon enough the time came for Fitz to leave for work. He was having breakfast when he remembered he had to charge his phone. He remembered the recording he made and wondered how much of his Anna tryst was actually on it. He wasn't sure if the recording was a good idea seeing how things ended. He leaned on the kitchen counter and shook his head. 'It will come in handy if at all she claimed anything inappropriate by me', he concludes. He plugged his phone into the charger and made himself coffee and a quick sandwich. He was running a little later than he had planned. He thought of talking to Edison about Anna but he wasn't sure if he could trust the man so he decided against it. Fitz had to determine if she could be troublesome for him and his family and company. He might have to talk to John about it. He didn't want the company to be blindsided by any potential legal matters. Maybe he would drop by Halloway Legal anyway and make plans with Edison. He had lots of paperwork to go through, maybe he and Edison could grab a quick lunch together before their 2 o'clock meeting. These were the things Fitzgerald Thomas Grant the 3rd was thinking about as he put on his coat, picked up his briefcase and walked out of the house, leaving his phone charging on the kitchen counter.

Xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xX

Olivia heard her husband leave the house. She cuddled her sons closer to herself. Their curly brown hair lay splayed across her chest and shoulders. Their hair was now a shoulder length mess of curls but she didn't care, they were so cute. She inhaled their heads as she did when they were born. She would never tire of it. She remembered how tiny they were when they were babies. She remembered how much she cried as she looked at their beautiful faces after they were born. Fitz had been a super star throughout the entire pregnancy, he had been an absolute gem. He had done all the running around to fulfil her incessant cravings, some of which were truly strange. She remembered the incredulous look on his sleepy face one night when he found her in the kitchen, not eating food but rather, eating burnt up matchstick heads. He had bowled over in fits of laughter as she looked at him innocently with her perfect doe eyes. He had been there through the absurd tantrums of which he had taken most of the brunt. He had held her close during the tearful times when she would cry over just about anything, even what she perceived was the wrong word or look from him. She remembered one day he walked in on her in the bedroom. She was staring at herself in the mirror, trying and failing to pull an obviously too small shirt over her belly. She was four months pregnant and she was still refusing to buy maternity clothes. She had stood in front of the mirror, frustrated, quiet tears running down her cheeks.

"Honey I think we need to go shopping for you". He smirked.

Fitz had never wished he had kept his opinion to himself as much as he did the moment those words left his mouth. Olivia had turned around to face him, in her sweatpants and a shirt that now only covered her breasts. Now she was crying for real. Sobbing, in fact. "You...think...I'm..fat!" The words came in between heaves.

Fitz had immediately recognised his mistake.

"No, no honey I don't, Livvie, that's not what I meant". He tried to touch her but she batted his hands away.

"Yeah, but you think I'm a whale right!" She wailed, her tone full of accusation, her arms crossed above the offending belly.

The whole scene would have been funny had she not looked so wounded.

"Baby come on". He held her by the shoulders, drawing her closer to him until she stopped trying to resist him. She fell into his arms clinging onto him.

"You don't think I'm fat?" She asked in a small voice. The tears had turned into small sniffles.

"No honey. I think you're absolutely gorgeous, beautiful, you're my queen you know that." He answered earnestly, stroking her stomach tenderly.

She giggled into his chest. "I'm your queen", she asked innocently. The tears were now forgotten. He was kissing her face, holding her close to himself. "Mmmh, you want me to show you how beautiful I think you are?"he whispered in her ear.

"Fitz".. She laughed out loud as she felt him pressing his hardness onto her.

"What?" He shrugged his shoulders, "I'm just saying, it's because of you". He gestured to his erection and laughed.

They had gone on to make love for the better part of the day.

She smiled at the memory.

Liv got the boys ready for school. They had a lively breakfast full of chatter. They were too busy to notice Fitz had left his phone in the kitchen.

Liv drove her boys to school then headed to her office. She loved living in New York. It was a lovely city and there was a lot of business for her company. It wasn't the same as DC which was full of a rather large community of dirty politicians. She mostly dealt with businessmen, both foreign and domestic. It was also less life threatening. Harrison was the head of the DC office. She let him have free reign there and only weighed in when she was needed. Her New York office had been open for two years before she got pregnant. After having the boys she had taken two years off work to make time for Ben and Brandon. She wanted to be the best mum and she didn't want her children raised by nannies although she did have help around the house and a very reliable nanny was available when needed. Abby was her second in command in New York. She had taken charge when Liv had taken her leave. When the boys turned two, Liv slowly immersed herself back into her work. She did most of her business from her home office but she made sure to spend some days of the week at the office.

After she dropped the boys off at school she went shopping. She needed a few things for the house. She loved shopping by herself. It helped her think and plan. And a plan was brewing in her mind for a sexy night with her husband. She bought all the things she would need to give them both a night to remember. She would have to ask Abby to take the boys for the night. She smiled to herself. She loved that after ten years of marriage and two kids later she and Fitz were still hot for each other. They still turned each other on, probably even more so now.

After shopping, Liv dropped into her New York office of Pope-Grant and Associates to see Abby.

"Hey, what are you doing here, I didn't think I'd see you 'till next week?" Abby asked as she opened her arms wide to give Liv a hug.

"I thought you'd miss me too much until then" Liv smiled and fell into Abby's hug.

"Of course I miss you and you came in just at the right time because I have a juicy one for you which I think you'll like". Abby smiled at Liv gleefully as she led her into the conference room. "It's not really a fix our potential new client needs, he needs us to sort of help broker a deal he is doing with a South African guy who runs a mine there".

"Wow, that sounds interesting, what does he want to do in South Africa?" Liv asked, quite more than curious.

"Let him tell you himself, Liv, meet Jake Ballard, Mr Ballard this is Olivia Pope-Grant".

"Wow, it's nice to meet you in the flesh Mrs Grant".

Liv looked at the man that stood before her. He was tall like Fitz, around the same age, maybe 2 or 3 years younger. He had green eyes and short black hair. He wore a grey pinstripe suit, something expensive. Her first impression of him was one of caution.

She gave him her hand to shake, "Nice to meet you Mr. Ballard, I am told you're looking to do business in South Africa?"

"Yes, and I am told you're the best person to help me". He shook her hand, giving her a charming smile.

Her impromptu meeting with Jake lasted longer than expected. Soon it was time to pick the boys up from school.

Xx xx xx xx xx xx xX

Fitz sat at his desk going through piles of paper work. He had been at it since arriving at the office. It was after lunch and he was scheduled for a meeting with Halloway in 15 minutes. The meetings were usually very productive but on this day he was just not in the mood. He didn't really want to be in the same room as Anna. He hoped she would just forget what had happened between them. He hoped she wouldn't make a scene or worse, have feelings for him. He hoped she treated it as what it was, a slip up, a mistake, just sex. His hopes were quickly dashed. Sitting there at his desk, he decided to go through his emails. There was nothing interesting, just the usual business. Just as he was about to close his mail a new message popped up:

"I had fun last night"

A.

Fitz felt the air leave his lungs. Gosh, this was not what he needed. He leaned forward on his desk, his fingers rifling through his curly locks. What the hell was he supposed to do now? He needed to tread lightly, there was no way he could let this situation spiral out of hand. The weight of telling Livvie was getting heavier with each hour.

John popped his head into Fitz's office.

"Hey, you ready to go? What's up, you look awful".

Fitz looked at John wearily. "Go on ahead without me, I'll catch up later". He sighed. Maybe he should talk to Edison after all he thought.

"I would, but today we need your agreement and signature to finalise the paperwork before it's sent off". John could see there was something going on with his friend and boss. "Hey, are you ok", he asked again.

Fitz shut his computer down, tidied up bits of paper on his desk. He was avoiding looking at John. He needed to talk to someone about what he had done but he was embarrassed and he felt weak and stupid. He trusted John. They were best friends. "I'm ok, go on to the meeting. Tell Edison I'll be there soon".

"Ok, cool, let me know if you need anything". John left the office and made his way to Halloways.

Fitz sat there with his mind whirring. He needed a drink. He got up and poured himself a scotch, his favourite drink. He took a sip, then another, and another until he finished the contents of the crystal glass in his hand. He paced back and forth slowly across his office. He laughed at the irony of his situation. His situation needed a fixer, but the best fixer in town was his very own wife, whom he couldn't let know his problem. He came to the conclusion that he was going to have to tell Olivia the truth. He was dreading it. He was deep in his thoughts when he was interrupted by his office phone.

"Hello"

"Hi", it was Olivia

"Hi baby, I'm glad you called, I miss you today". He was telling the truth.

"I miss you too, I thought you had a meeting?"

"I do but I wasn't in the mood so I sent John in instead, I'll have to pop in to sign a few papers though, how about you? Did the boys behave?"

"I'm fine Fitz, and the boys are doing great. I'll be picking them up from school soon. I might have an interesting case at work, but I'll see how it goes".

"So, do you think we can send the boys to one of our friends tonight. I just want to spend some time alone with you". Fitz said. He wanted to get this burden off his chest but he also wanted to have crazy animalistic sex with his wife.

"Mmhh, that can be arranged". Liv purred into the phone.

"Livvie don't do that when I'm so far away".

"Do what?" She asked with a naughty giggle.

"That sound you make. You know how hard it makes me". His tone was deep and sensual.

"Well, too bad honey, I'm off to pick up the boys from school". She was laughing. Enjoying her ability to pop his horny bubble.

"You're so mean Livvie, how did I end up with such a mean woman. I have to go into a meeting carrying some hardwood". He sighed. He didn't have to look down to see his friend poking out of his trousers.

Livvie was laughing so much she thought she would cry. "I'm sorry baby, you love me though".

"I love you Livvie, I love you so much you have no idea", his tone had changed into a serious one.

"Ok honey. I'll see you soon. Love you".

"Bye Liv".

With that he hung up and made his way to the meeting.

Fitz entered Edison's office.

"Sorry, you can go on", he said, when everyone paused as he entered.

"Well there's nothing left to say really, just signing of the papers and everything should be sorted in the next few days and you can start your drilling as early as ten days from now". Edison spoke up.

"Thank you Edison, I hope nothing else pops up. I hope everything is locked down after this. Every idle day is costing me money". Fitz said with a kind authority.

"There shouldn't be any more problems Mr. Grant. Anna will bring anymore paperwork to your office". Anna was sitting close to Edison. Fitz had avoided any form of eye contact with her.

"That won't be necessary Edison. Just email John and he'll send Lauren to pick up anything else you may have for us, thanks". After having signed all the papers that needed signing Fitz got up to leave the office. "Thanks everyone for a job well done". Fitz walked out of the Halloway conference room and made his way to the elevator. He was standing there hoping that the damn thing would come quickly because he just needed to get out of there. He waited, then decided to take the stairs. His office was only two floors above. When he had gone one flight up he heard a pair of heels clinking towards him.

"Mr Grant, please wait". It was her, it was Anna.

'Damn, won't the earth open up and swallow me now' Fitz thought to himself.

He turned to look at her. His face held no emotions. His features were hardened, he had no interest in her.

"Hey, so, I had a lot of fun last night, do you want to meet me tonight. I'll take you to my place". She was moving closer to him.

"I don't know what you think last night was about but it was a mistake. It meant nothing. I don't want you, I never will. I have an amazing wife and children and I can't jeopardise them for you. I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression but what happened yesterday will never happen again". He whispered with confidence and conviction, leaving no room for doubts or arguments.

"I told you I don't care that you're married. I don't want your love, plus, you left quite an impression last night". She in turn whispered, her eyes made their way down to his crotch as she licked her upper lip slowly.

"Is this a game to you? "He was angry, "do you think you can come in here and mess with my life?" With those final words he turned around and continued on his way to his office which he entered and slammed the door shut.

He spent the rest of his day in his office, thinking of what he was going to do. He left his office and headed to a flower shop. He bought a bunch of orchids. Liv loved them. She loved their scent. He passed by their favourite winery and bought Liv's favourite bottle of red. He made his way home. He would confess his sins to her, he would beg and plead for her forgiveness. He would hope and pray she wouldn't leave him. That was his plan until he walked into his darkened home and found a pair of torn up thongs hanging where his coat normally did and the sound of his voice playing out of the ihome speakers. He heard it clearly, "Is this what you want, is this what you came for..." Then Anna's voice rang through his home," ...yes, yes, yes..." And his world came crashing down around him.

**I wrote and re-wrote this chapter over and over again trying to make it perfect for the next chapter. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Learning to Forgive**

**Chapter 5: Saturday Continued**

Liv had been driving around for a while. She left Fitz with the Benjamin and Brandan. She didn't want her sons to see her in the condition she was in. She didn't want them to see her sad eyes and her fake smile. She needed to talk to someone. She needed Abby but first she needed a drink. She drove to into a bar on her way to Abby's. She would just have one drink just to take the edge off. Liv wasn't much if a drinker except for her red wine, she had little taste for anything else. She sat at the bar. The bar tender looked at her. She looked too young to be in there. She barely looked 21.

"Excuse me miss, I'm gonna need to see some ID before I serve you".

Olivia laughed, "oh for the silver linings in life", she quipped. She pulled out her drivers license, showing the bartender that she was in-fact 30 years of age. "You flatter me with your request. Can I have your finest scotch please, neat, on the rocks, and fill it to the top?"

The bar tender looked at her, a little bit concerned. But then again he had seen her kind many times over in his lifetime. The rich sad wives. They always came in looking so innocent. Then they would end up raging drunk and he would end up having to clean their vomit later. The rocks on her ring, though subtle and classy, looked quite expensive. He wondered what the husband had done. It was usually cheating with the maid or baby sitter. Many times they would open up to him. He handed the drink to Olivia. Being a bartender was like being a therapist. People came to him when they were down and he would provide them with a listening ear and a way of escape and if they were really lucky he would impart some of his wisdom to them. And having been literally raised in a bar, he had a lot of wisdom to give. The little thing that sat in front of him looked a sorry sight. He could tell she had been crying for a while. Maybe even for hours. Her face was fresh with no make-up. She was a striking beauty. Her eyes were red and her little smile was empty of life. She tugged at his heart. He watched her drink up the glass of scotch faster than he would have liked. He was sure her small frame wouldn't be able to handle much more if she continued.

"Another one please!", she raised her hand.

"That stuff is powerful, you should slow down". He warned.

"Why do you care, you don't know me?" She challenged him.

"Well, I know your husband probably wouldn't be happy to find you highly intoxicated", he gestured to her ring.

"Oh this, do you want it, I could sell it to you, or just give it to you". The effects of that one glass of scotch were starting to show. "I'm sure your wife would like it". She scoffed.

"I don't have a wife". He didn't know what it was about her that made him open up. Usually he just observed.

"Girlfriend then, or man friend" she laughed when he frowned, "hey I'm not here to judge, how about that drink then?"

He poured out another scotch for her. He watched her look at the glass full of the brown liquid and he saw a softness pass through her features like she was thinking of something, which she was. Tears prickled at her eyes. This was Fitz's favourite drink. There were a number of bottles of ageing scotch in their cellar. She hated that she missed him in that moment. She looked at her watch. It was after 1pm. She needed to be at Abby's but that would mean facing real life. She decided she would spend more time with this kind bartender. She liked him for some odd reason. He was Spanish, or Mexican or from some Latin country. She sipped the scotch slowly, savouring it, hating its burn as it slid down her throat. She remembered how it tasted on Fitz's tongue. She hated that she was thinking about him like that.

"He cheated on me". Her hand rushed to cover her mouth. She never meant to say it out loud but now, hearing her own voice say it out loud, it became real to her. And the reality came and slapped her square in the face. She dropped her hand and dropped her gaze to her twiddling fingers. She was ashamed. "He made promises, then he broke the most important one of all, he lied to me", she sighed, happy to unload onto someone else. She felt free. She looked into the strangers brown eyes and felt safe. It was as though he drew it out of her. He stood there and listened. 'I knew it', he thought to himself. He was never one to judge.

"You should forgive him, life is too short", he said it because he really did know how short life was, sometime he was even the reason some people's lives were short. She looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Of course I should, you're a man so it figures you'd stand up for him", Olivia laughed mirthlessly, the words rolling sarcastically out of her mouth. It was incredible that men thought they should just get away with shit like that scot-free.

"I don't know your husband, I could care less what he's done, but I'm saying it for you. It's you who'll be fucked up if you go on this way", he said kindly, gesturing at the nearly empty glass if scotch.

"Hit me with another one, come on, I'm paying", she egged him on when she saw his disapproving look. "What's your name anyway", she asked him.

"What's yours", he fired back

"Hey I asked you first", she giggled.

"And I'll tell you when you tell me yours, my bar my rules".

"You're no fun, Olivia. My name's Olivia". She gave him her hand to shake.

"Vincenzo, but my friends call me Huck", he shook her tiny hand.

"Well nice to meet you Huck" she said with a big smile. He laughed at her. He found it funny that she went right for the name Huck. He had a feeling this was the start of a special friendship.

"So when are you going home, you aren't driving are you?" He was concerned.

"If I walk out that door, I have to face reality. Can't I just sit here and talk to you for a while?" Olivia really didn't want to deal with the world. She didn't want to deal with Fitz. She didn't want to deal with Abby's shock and questions. She didn't want to deal with the fact that her perfect life wasn't so perfect after all. So she sat in the bar for hours on end, alternating between water and scotch. Huck let her drink her sorrows away. She was a novice he could tell. By the end of her second glass her words were starting slur. He would let her have her drink then drive her home. For some reason he felt protective over her. She reminded him of someone he once loved. But that memory was for another day.

Xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xX

It was nearly ten at night and Fitz was getting worried. He had played their usual games with the boys. Family day had turned out to be just boys day after-all. By 2 pm when Liv still had not returned home he made them some lunch and let them have a nap. Later, he took them out to the park where they played catch. He took the twins home, gave them their baths and the three of them sat in the TV room watching Thor and eating popcorn. Fitz had sent Liv a few texts and even called her a few times to no avail. The only thing that kept him same was that she was at Abby's as indicated by Liv's single text that she sent him just after she left the house. At least that's where she had said she was going. He decided he would give her the space she needed so he decided he'd stop nagging her. He would allow her to talk to him when she was ready. That was all fine until Abby called him after 9 at night.

"Hey Fitz, how're you?"

He wasn't sure how to respond. He figured Liv had told her what he's done and Abby was Liv's best friend. She was territorial of her friendship with Liv and he had seen her go crazy over smaller things other people had done to Liv. So her chipper voice was throwing him for a loop.

"Hello, Fitz", she said in a sing-song kind of way. "Let me speak to Liv so I can kick her ass for ditching me today, that's if you can let her out of the bedroom long enough". Abby laughed. Her friends were the randy pair. She couldn't count the number of times she walked in on them in the throes of passion in different positions when she and Liv were still in college. Their group of friends always teased them about it.

"What?, Liv hasn't been home since morning. She said she was coming to yours…. shit".

"Fitz...what happened?" The bubbly Abby was gone. Fitz was silent.

"What the hell happened FITZ? Liv wouldn't leave the boys, or you all day, and she definitely doesn't ignore my calls or yours for that matter, so what the hell happened?"

"Abby...we had a fight ok. I don't want to talk about it, I need to find Liv, I'll call you later. Do you mind coming over to watch the boys for me. It's too late to call the nanny now?"

"Ok I'll be there in ten, but you are going to tell me what's going on". She hung up.

Fitz was frantic. He was glad the boys had fallen asleep, be it on the couch. He carried them to their beds. He pulled on a pair of jeans and a jacket. He grabbed his car keys and his phone and waited for Abby. Exactly ten minutes later Abby was at the door.

"Thanks for coming Abby, I'm going to look for her. I'll call you if anything comes up and you call me with the same. Tell David I said thanks for letting you out so late". He gave her a quick hug.

"It's fine, go". She saw something in his eyes she hadn't seen in years. The last time he had that sad look in his eyes was when his mother was ill with cancer. He had watched her waste away for nearly a whole year before she finally passed away. It had taken a toll on him. He had the same look. Abby knew whatever it was they were going through must have been big.

Fitz drove around, passing by all their usual hangouts. No one had seen her or heard from her. He was getting worried. He called Harrison to ask if he'd heard from her, which he hadn't and neither had Stephen. They offered to call the hospitals and police stations.

After nearly two hours of searching, he was about to report her missing when he got a text from Liv's phone. "She'll be home in half an hour" it read. Who was using her phone he wondered. He was angry and frustrated. He expected her to be a bit more responsible and not disappear with no one knowing where the hell she was. He drove back home so he could be there when she arrived. He walked through the door. Abby got up him. "So, where is she, what's going on Fitz? No one can find her, we need to call the police, I have contacts at the FBI, maybe someone's taken her..."

Before Fitz could answer there was a knock on the door. Fitz opened it. He wasn't prepared for the sight before him. A man of medium build, probably Spanish, with a tattoo protruding from under his plaid shirt short sleeve stood at his door, with his wife Olivia Pope-Grant, slung over his shoulder. The man had a beard and a buzz cut. His eyes seemed lifeless. He looked like the kind of guy Olivia should avoid. "I believe she belongs to you, no charge for the delivery", he said humourlessly, looking Fitz dead in the eye. She'll need something for a major hangover in the morning. Tell her she'll find her car where she left it". The stranger handed a passed out Olivia to Fitz. His eyes flickered over Abby then he turned around and left. Fitz was stunned into silence. He had a death grip on Liv's body, trying to keep her from slipping onto the floor. He picked her up.

Abby was shocked. She had never seen Olivia in this state before. Not even in college. "Whatever happened here, you have to fix it a Fitz. Look at her. I've never seen her like this before".

"Thanks Abby, thanks for all your help. I'll take it from here. Tell David I said hi".

"Hey Red... What are you doing here...?"Liv slurred, drifting slightly into consciousness.

"Hey Liv, go and sleep it off my friend, I'll see you tomorrow". Abby laughed and quickly snapped a cheeky picture of Olivia hanging off Fitz's shoulder.

"Hey, let me go, why are you carrying me...?" Liv shouted, pounding Fitz's back with her fists and kicking her legs. He held her right to stop her from falling. She stank of alcohol. She stank of a bar. He felt bad. He was the reason she was in this state but his anger at her behaviour was over riding his feelings of guilt. "Shut up Liv, you'll wake the kids". He got into the bedroom and tossed her on the bed. She giggled and sat up reaching for his belt.

"Livvie no, you need to shower and go to bed", Fitz was pulling her fingers off his belt buckle which was proving difficult.

"But I don't want to shower and go to bed, I want you. I want all of you". She purred. On any other day, at any other time, when they were in better circumstances he wouldn't even have waited. he would have had her pressed against the wall taking her every which way she would let him.

"Livvie stop", he snapped at her.

She stopped and looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears. "Am I too boring for you Fitz, because I don't do it with you in the gym". Her tears were running down her face. "Is that why you don't want me now, but I've done it with you in other places, I thought you liked it", her voice was broken and almost child-like.

"Livvie..." He knelt in front of her, between her legs, " baby you're it for me. It was a stupid mistake Liv, a stupid, stupid mistake. It will never happen again. I promise. You're more than enough for me Liv please, please don't cry". He was wiping her tears from her face while his own ran down his face. "I'm sorry baby, I'm so sorry".

Liv stood up. The three black coffees Huck had forced her to drink were kicking in slowly. She slowly wobbled towards the bathroom. She stood at the door and looked at her husband who was slumped on the floor against the bed. His eyes locked on hers, pleading for a way out of the nightmare they were in.

"I don't know if I can forgive you Fitz". She walked into the bathroom and locked the door behind her.

**Xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xX**

**I enjoyed writing this chapter. I hope you like it. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the delay everyone but here's a little something. We are alternating between Saturday night after Liv returns from the bar and Friday after Fitz walks into the house only to discover Liv playing the recording**.

**Saturday night**

Liv stood under the hot steam of water. She closed her eyes, letting the water run its course over the ridges of her body. She felt drained in every way. She was glad the kind bartender had driven her home or else only God knows where she would have ended up. She knew she would feel awful in the morning. The numerous cups of coffee she's sure she drank were working. She was getting a bit more sober. She didn't know if she was glad for it. Maybe not. She didn't want to remember her pain but unfortunately it sat on the other side of her en-suite bathroom door in the form of Fitz. She looked at herself in the full length mirror that stood on one of the shower walls in place of tiles. She remembered how it was both their idea to have it installed right there. They liked watching themselves make love. The mirror that was supposed to reflect their love and intimacy but now it reflected a sad and dejected Olivia whose tears ran down together with the water. She looked at herself as she ran her soapy wash cloth over her body. She saw her sad eyes and quickly shifted her gaze to the rest of her body. She was petite but had all the curves in the right places. As she ran her eyes over her curves she noticed a blemish on one of her hips. She turned to take a better look. It was a love bite left there by Fitz. Something that on previous occasions would have elicited a smile on her face but now held a dry annoyance. She loved her husband but could she ever move on with him? Olivia realised she had to deal with the situation and make some choices. Many questions ran through her mind. Could she see them getting over this? Did she want to get over this? Would he do this again? Was he worth another chance? Should she leave him? What about the boys? How would a divorce impact them, her, her business, everything? Could she see herself with anyone else? Was it worth breaking up her marriage? What made him do it? Could she get over it? There were too many questions and she just wanted to run away. But unfortunately she couldn't. She had to make decisions. For her sons and for herself. Even for Fitz. He had hurt her deeply but she wanted to give him the answers they were both looking for. She just didn't know what those answers would be and where they would lead. She stood there, remembering how her world had shattered about 30 hours earlier.

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**Friday Afternoon.**

She was busy unloading her shopping, stocking up the fridge and preparing snacks for Benjamin and Brandon. Her plan for after that was to call Abby so she could take the boys to her house after they'd eaten and taken their showers. They would spend the night with Abby, David and their 7 year old son Kevin. She would then shower, lay a pattern of rose petals leading from the front door to their bedroom. He would find her poised, waiting eagerly for him. She'd be in a crimson red corset and thong set and she would be in red 4 inch heels, her legs clad in black thigh high stockings that had lace trimming. Her hair would be hanging free in its natural curls just the way he liked. She would be ready for her husband. She would let him do it to her how he liked, rough and fast, then slow and sensual. She would try some new things with him, she would embrace her adventurous side and he would be surprised. The plan was for their love making to last all night. She needed it. She wanted it. She craved it. She craved him.

"Mummmmyyyyyy". The whiney sound from both her boys shook her out of her thoughts.

"What?" She asked them, a smile painted her beautiful face.

"I like it when you smile mummy", Brendan beamed his own boyish smile at his mother.

"Really, is that what you called me to tell me?" Olivia chuckled, like father like son she thought.

"Is it because daddy gave you what you wanted mummy?" Benjamin asked.

"What are you talking about Benjamin, and take those headphones out of your ears, you're speaking so loudly, and stop playing with my phone". Olivia had gone back to pulling things out of the fridge, trying to prepare something for the three of them to eat. She had assumed they were listening to her music as they often did.

"It's not your phone mummy", Ben answered his mother.

"I don't care Ben, either turn it off or turn it down so you're not speaking so loud", the boy was nearly shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Sorry mum, but what did dad give you, because you sound like you were so happy about it mummy". Brandon asked while concentrating on what he was hearing through one earpiece of the headphones while his brother listened through the other. Both of them made curious faces at what they were hearing.

"What on earth are you two going on about?" Olivia asked, still not paying any real attention.

"It's on dad's phone mum, should we play it for you?" Ben pulled off the headphones from his father's iPhone 6plus and pressed play. He turned up the volume to its maximum.

Olivia went about slicing fruits and slathering sliced of bread with jam and peanut butter. The boys had turned silent. She turned around to see what they were up to.

"Hey, you two know you shouldn't be playing with your father's phone, now turn it off and put it back where you found it." Olivia said in a stern voice. Brandon was quick to look contrite but only for a second as his brother's confidence bolstered his confidence. So Brandon sat there and put a challenging face on and waited for his brother's next move.

"But muuuum, dads about to ask you a question just listen". Ben wasn't budging. He could be so stubborn sometimes.

Olivia walked up to the boys and as she was about to snatch the phone from Ben she heard Fitz's voice reverberate from his phone. "Is this what you came for, is this what you want". Olivia's brow furrowed. She was trying to recall the tone of his voice, his words, their intensity, he only ever sounded like that when he was angry or...when they... Then a voice, a female voice filtered through... "Yes, yes, yes, ahhh..." She hit the stop button as quickly as she could and looked at her two sons. With all the calmness she could muster, she commanded them to go upstairs. This time her tone left no room for argument or questions.

Benjamin looked at Brandon and shrugged his little shoulders. "Ok". He said sweetly.

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**Saturday night**

Olivia stepped out of the shower and dried herself off. She walked back into their bedroom. Fitz was sitting at the corner edge of the bed. He stood up as she walked in and walked towards her. "Sorry for snapping at you Liv, I was just so worried about you. I know this is all my fault. I want to fix it. I want to fix us. But I need you Liv". His voice was gentle and shaky and yet it held a strength of conviction.

"Why did you do it Fitz?" Her voice was steely. She wouldn't cry. She was tired of crying.

He looked down, shame covering his countenance. He took another step towards her as she stood by the dressing table. "I don't know Liv. It's like I wasn't thinking straight. Like I wasn't me. It meant nothing".

"But that's the thing Fitz. You risked us for nothing. You let someone else have you". The tears shed been trying to keep at bay were threatening her vision. She folded her arms waited. "You let another woman touch you; you have been in another woman. Every time we've made love you've touched me and I've been all yours but now, my hands aren't the only ones to have touched you. You're not mine anymore". She was crying now, her arms wrapped tightly around herself.

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**Friday night**

Olivia sat on the couch in the dark. She had called the nanny in to watch and entertain the boys upstairs. She just couldn't think of what to do. She felt numb. Of course her sons had no idea the thing they were listening to, the thing they were so eager for her to hear would rip her soul inside out and destroy their family. Fitz, her Fitz, the one who once serenaded her standing butt naked in the snow outside her house on thanksgiving, her parents' house, because they'd had some stupid fight. Her Fitz who would want to fight any man who even looked at her suspiciously. Fitz, the guy who had cried when she said yes to his proposal, her Fitz. Her Fitz had screwed some random skank in a gym shower as if he wasn't getting some on the regular at home. The bastard. So she sat there biding her time. Waiting for him to come home. She wasn't sure what she was going to do or say. She mostly wanted to look in his eyes and see his soul. She wanted to confront him and maybe he would tell her it was all some stupid joke, a misunderstanding. That he had discovered he had a twin somewhere and it wasn't him on that voice recording. The darkness of the house enveloped her. The only vestiges of light came from the third floor of the brownstone where her children were watching movies. She had plugged his phone into the ihome system and selected the downstairs speakers. She didn't know why she kept listening to it over and over again as though it would suddenly change and she'd discover all this was nothing but a nightmare. The girl sounded brazen and after his grunts as he came he hadn't said a word. The bastard. "See that was easy, until next time Mr Grant, and don't worry, I'm protected", the slut had quipped. Liv had a mind to go over to his work place, find the girl and beat the shit out of her but she wasn't going to be a cliché, no, she was the Olivia Pope after all. Whoever this girl was, she had no idea who she was dealing with obviously.

Olivia had fished out the torn underwear she found in his gym bag from out of the garbage. It wasn't hers after all. She had washed it and hung it where he would normally hang his coat then she sat. She sat quietly on her plush white leather sofa with her 4th glass of red wine. She heard him drive up to the house. She heard him exit his car and lock the garage. She heard his keys turn and the door open. She heard him gasp "shit, shit, shit..." He must have seen his whores panties, she thought. She kept sitting there sipping her wine like the situation was normal. She heard him drop whatever he had in his hands and tentatively call her name. She heard his footsteps come closer to her. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, oh my God Liv I'm sorry". She saw him head towards her and kneel before her, in his pinstriped suit, his coat still on, his blue eyes grey with contrition. His hands grasping onto her legs, his head resting on her lap. She leapt out of his touch and leapt off the couch in one swift move, the wine spilling partly on him and partly on her white shag carpet. He swirled around to face her as she backed away from him as though he was some stranger, someone she had never met. A fury he had never seen before washed over her entire countenance. "You bastard, you fuckin bastard. Who are you? I don't know you", she was yelling uncontrollably. Fitz was afraid. This was something he had never ever seen in Olivia. He made a move to walk towards her, "DONT, don't you dare come closer to me, you disgust me. Is this what you do at work, is this what you spend your time doing, screwing whores while I take care of your children, while I put my business on hold, you are all up in some woman's business. You are a real bastard you know that?" she felt out of control.

"She meant nothing Liv, it was one time..." He trembled.

"I've worked with lying, cheating assholes for years Fitz so don't give me that line…."meant nothing", she said mockingly. "If you had the mind to stick your dick in her then it damn well meant something. If it meant nothing you would have walked away. You are such an asshole".

"Liv..." he sighed. What could he say, she was right and he had no real excuse, he had done a terrible thing and he was going to have to pay for it somehow.

"Did you two have a good laugh about the wife at home, did I even cross your mind, did Brandon and Ben?" she shook her head, her chest was rising and falling heavily, her voice was shaking as tears ran down her face.

"Who is she Fitz, and don't lie to me because you know I can find out easily without you".

"Liv, it happened once, it meant nothing, and I was going to tell you, I just didn't know how". He was standing in front of her, two feet away from her. He was looking at her in her beautiful eyes that were now so full of anger, hurt and pain. He hated seeing her like this and usually he would do everything possible to make her smile and forget her stress but now he was the cause of all those things and there was nothing he could do but let her vent and do whatever else she wanted. He only prayed she would not leave him.

"Fitz", she said warningly

"Ok, her name is Anna Summer and she works for Edison".

"Oh that's just great, perfect, now you've made a fool of me not just at Grant oil but at Halloway too. You sick son of a..."

"Liv please, stop, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you ok, I'm sorry". He walked closer to her. She slapped him across the face twice in succession. He stood there and took it. He deserved every bit of her fury.

"Was she good Fitz, is she what you want?" she asked in an eerily calm voice, as though she was talking to a client, someone she had no emotional attachment to. He would rather have her anger, her crying or something but not emotionless but who was he to demand anything from her right now. "You came home last night and touched me, and made love to me…..after you touched her, and I knew, I knew there was something off with you, and I asked you Fitz, and you looked in the eyes and lied to me, you said there was nothing wrong, just work stuff…you lied to me", her voice was getting caught in her throat as speech became a challenge. She sobbed. "So all the things you did, all the things you said, were lies, just your way of washing away your guilt, I can't believe you Fitz, you used me, how could you do this to me?"

"I gave you everything Fitz". She's propped herself against the wall next to the stairs. "Everything, and you go and piss it all away. It's over between us. I'm done. I'm not sitting around here for your sorries; I'm not going to be a fool. I guess the Grant genes caught up with you after all and I'm the ass that thought she could defy the odds hey Fitz?"

"Liv no, you can't leave me, please don't leave me, I love you, I never meant to hurt you, you have to believe me. And last night was real for me, I may have been wrong to make love to you with this thing I've done but you have to know that you are my world and everything I did and said to you last night was real because I love you and I'll never stop loving you". He has his forearm resting on the wall besides her, his head leaning on his arm. He had tears freely flowing down his face, a mirror to hers. "I made a mistake; I can't live without you, please". He was not ashamed of begging. She looked at him, turned her back to him and went up the stairs without another word. The lights were still off; the stupid recording was still playing on a loop. He reached for his phone, ripped it off its docking station and threw it across the room smashing it to bits. He crumbled to the floor in uncontrollable sobs as she did the same in their bedroom. Little did they know that Ben and Brandon heard all their yelling.

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**Saturday night**

Fitz walked up to her. He put his hands on her hips. She looked so tiny in her terry cloth cotton robe. He drew her body closer to his. He slid down onto his knees, a position he was starting to get used to, and he clung to her body, his face buried into her stomach, his hands gripping her hips, his own tears running down his face. "Liv, I love you with all my heart. You are everything to me. I had a moment of weakness. I let her taunt me. I let her get the better of me. And I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I've hurt you so badly. I'm sorry that I've risked our family. I'm sorry baby. But there's no one else for me Liv. You're it for me. This will never happen again. I promise you Liv. Never again. I'll do anything you want to prove it. I'll do anything".

Liv brought her hands onto his shoulders; she ran her fingers through his hair. She knew he was sorry. She knew he was being genuine. She bent slightly to kiss his forehead. "I'm moving into the pent house for a while". She said it so softly, almost like a whisper. A strangled sob escaped his throat. He gripped her tighter. She stood there, holding him against her body. Not wanting to let go. He rose up to his feet, not losing grip of her body. He held her face in the palms of his hands and kissed her. She didn't resist. It was a gentle and deep kids. Their tongues slid across each other. Her arms were wrapped around him. They savoured their kiss. Neither knew if it would be their very last.

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I loved writing this chapter. I'm not very good at describing rooms and such, so you can let you imagination run wild filling in the gaps. Hope you enjoy. Looking forward to your reviews. XXXX


	7. Chapter 7

**So sorry for the delay. College and work are quite demanding right now. Plus had to shake off the last few episodes of Scandal from my mind. Enjoy.**

**Chapter 7**

**Two weeks later**

Anna sat at her desk at Halloway feeling rather proud of herself. She was a sassy young thing and she was good at her job. Not only that, she had bumped uglies with the formidable Fitzgerald Grant. He was known as the faithful one who would never step out on his wife. The word around the water cooler had been that he didn't even look at other women. Many had tried and failed. She smiled to herself as she checked her appearance in her little mirror, feeling victorious. She would wipe a few hopeful smiles off some faces when she had girls' night with some of her office "friends". She felt good about herself. She was 26 and she still had it in spades. He hadn't even resisted much. Of course he had tried the bullshit line about how he was married blah, blah, but she had turned on the sexy and she had turned on the charm and week after week she had watched him make subtle glances her way. She made sure to present herself as a sex kitten , wearing tight and subtly revealing clothes and finally she had won her prize and boy was it a prize. How could he have even thought he could resist her? Like every other man she had set her sights on, he had taken the bait hook, line and sinker. She found herself wanting more of him though. He was so big and he had done it to her hard and rough the way she liked it. She imagined what it would be like having him in her bed all night doing unspeakable things with him. Things his boring wife would never let him do. She knew these exorbitantly rich men had stooges for wives and they needed a little adventure, Anna mused to herself contemplating making another move on Mr Grant. He seemed to be more resistant to her since their little tryst but it had only been a few days after all. She could wait. It's not like he was going to tell anyone and it wasn't like he was going anywhere. She knew this game and she could play it well. Edison was paying her hefty sums of money to keep his wife from finding out about their "special time" together. His money currently financed her jaguar and downtown condo. Fitzgerald would have to cough it up too if he wanted to keep his bored wife at home happy. Maybe his money could finance a whole new upgrade to her life style. He was a billionaire after all. She was moving up in the world. She would give it another week. She would continue making subtle gestures and dropping hints. Edison had been good but Grant was amazing, can anyone say anaconda please. She almost laughed out loud at the thought. She let a wisp of a thought flutter across her mind, "if I was his wife..." She got up from her desk with a smile plastered on her face and went to get herself some lunch. The game was on and she would play to win. Her mother hadn't raised herself a fool.

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In all his life Fitzgerald never thought he could miss another human being as much as he missed his wife. She had moved out two Sundays ago and he felt like his world had fallen off its axis. The beautiful brownstone they lived in now seemed overbearing in its size. It was as though she had taken the life of the house with her. He had hardly slept 4 hours each night since she had left. On the first night he had tossed and turned in their bed until he walked out of their bedroom and slept in the guest room which was where he was still sleeping since then. Their bed was covered in her scent. It had enveloped him and his mind was racing with thoughts of her and how much he regretted what he had done. He thought of her disappointment in him, he thought of her sad eyes. But he also thought of the times before that. He thought of her laughter and silliness and how she made him laugh. He thought about how well she fit into his frame when they snuggled. He thought of when they had first moved into their beautiful home. Even more painful were thoughts of their love making, the way she touched him, the sounds she made, telling him she loved him. There were times it was so deep and pure she would cry and so would he. The last two weeks had been torture. It was February and New York was covered in snow and it was set to get worse, they were talking about some vortex of some sort. He had hardly spoken to Liv since she had left, or rather, she had hardly spoken to him. She only called to speak to the boys so their conversations were limited to what the twins needed, their health, their schooling and such things. They had decided on some kind of agreement to split their time with the kids. They would spend two weeks with Fitz and two with Liv and they would continue to alternate that way until they came up with a better solution. Fitz hoped that the solution would be her moving back home. Liv needed her space but it didn't mean he would stop doing all he could to try and make up for what he'd done. He sent her flowers every single day. He sent her pieces of jewellery. These were merely gestures. He wasn't trying to buy her back, Liv was never a woman who could be bought. Every morning when he woke up and every night before he went to sleep he sent a text telling her he loved her. She never texted back. Only Abby and David knew they were living apart, they knew something big had happened but neither Liv nor Fitz had told them exactly what was going on. Neither of them had told their parents either. Fitz was sure things would get better in a matter of weeks and they wouldn't have to tell anyone about their separation.

"Daddy when is mummy coming back?"

Fitz looked at Ben through barely open eyes as the boys stood at the base of his bed, staring at their sleepy father. "Hey, why are you two up so early?"

"Dad, it's not early, it's nearly 9 in the morning and we are going to be late for school", Brandon answered. "Where's mummy, we're never late when mummy's here", he whined.

"Shit,..." Fitz muttered as he looked at the clock on his night stand. He had finally fallen asleep after 4 in the morning with Liv on his mind as was usual and he had forgotten to set his alarm.

"Daddy you said a naughty word. Time out" Ben gasped at his father's slip up.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that". Fitz sighed having realised his mistake. He begrudgingly withdrew himself from the bed. Anyone who knew him would know he would have rather stayed right there in that bed for the foreseeable future. But he couldn't. He was effectively a single father at the moment. He had been doing well so far. Always managing to get the boys ready and out of the house in good time. It was at times like these he really missed Liv.

"Dad when's mum coming home? She's been gone a loooooong time", sighed Brandon as the three of them trudged their way to the guest bathroom.

Fitz didn't know how to answer his sons when they asked him this question. He tried to answer them as honestly as their minds could understand.

"She's at the other house Brandon. I told you this yesterday and the day before and the day before, mums picking you up from school today and you get to stay with her for the next two weeks. How many days is that?" Fitz asked, hoping to distract them with his math quiz.

"Ummm...10 days" answered Ben.

"No, but you're pretty close, try again". Fitz encouraged his son.

"12 days..." Answered Brandon.

"Wow, you're getting even closer. One more try". The boys were in the tub and he was giving them the quickest shower known to man.

The twins looked at each other, then Brandon whispered to Ben. They both looked at their dad. "A million days...". They broke down in fits of giggles.

Fitz looked at them with love, awe and wonder. He laughed. It was moments like this that made being a father so worth all the hardships that came with the job.

Fitz got them ready as quickly as he could. He picked up the house phone from the kitchen and called the school. He was wearing grey sweats and his Harvard t-shirt. He hadn't bothered shaving or brushing his hair. He had just ran a towel through it after his shower and left it to air dry.

"St Weatherly..." A very cheery woman sounded in the other end of line.

"Hello, this is Fitzgerald Grant, Benjamin and..."

"Oh, yes Mr Grant", the voice interrupted.

"Yes, I'm just calling to let you know the boys will be in late this morning. It's my fault, please don't write it up against them, I'll make up for it, I know how time conscious the school is". Fitz was rambling.

"Oh Mr Grant, it's no problem, I'm sure it won't happen again, we've already spoken to their mum", the voice said condescendingly. "I'll let their teachers know". "Shit". Fitz thought to himself.

Fitz said his goodbyes and hung up.

He was quickly clearing away the remnants of their breakfast when he heard a knock. While he was drying his hands off another knock sounded. "Coming..." Fitz yelled. He wondered who it could be. Without a thought he walked to the door, pulling it open not expecting to see the person who stood there.

" Liv..."

"Hi"

"Hi" ... Fitz answered in a croaky voice. She was just trying to torture him. She stood there in black slacks, a ruby red camisole and ruby red four inch heels. Her slacks were high waisted, starting just below her breasts and they held her figure so perfectly. She wore a black coat. Fitz looked her up and down. Damn he missed his very hot and sexy wife. Only when he looked into her eyes the tiny bit of softness she had greeted him with had changed. She now simply looked pissed off.

"Why are you knocking Liv, why didn't you use your key?" Fitz thought it was strange of her to knock. "This is your home, you don't have to knock, and you don't have to wait for me to ask you to come in", he smiled at her as he let her in, but she didn't return his sentiment.

"I'm just here for the boys, you're late Fitz, you know how strict they are at their school. They called me this morning and I had to promise to do the next bake-up for them to let it go. And you know I'm not the baking kind Fitz", she complained as she made her way into the house.

"I'm sorry Liv. I slept so late last night. I'm sorry. It won't happen again". He looked contrite so she dropped it.

"MUMMYYYYYY!"

Ben and Brandon came barrelling into their mothers waiting arms.

"Hi guys. I've missed you so much. I've missed you terribly". She held them close to her and gave them plenty of kisses as she did every morning when she was at home.

"I missed you mummy, and so did Brandon, right Bran?" Ben nudged his brother.

"Yeah, I missed you mum", he sounded sad and melancholy.

"What's wrong Brandon, why does my boy look so unhappy?" Liv asked in a light tone.

"When are you coming back mum, we miss you". Brandon responded. "Dad misses you too". Brandon whispered into his mother's ear. "Right Ben?"

"Yep. When you went to the other house he cried, but he doesn't know that we know. You're not going to tell him we told you right mummy?" Now it was Ben who was whispering into her other ear.

Liv cleared her throat. Her voice came out in a bit of a squeak as she tried not to break down and cry just then. "You guys don't need to worry about your dad or me. Ok. I may not be here sometimes but I love the both of you how much?" She looked into their faces expectantly.

"To the end of the galaxy and back!" The boys answered together. Liv held them tighter to herself right there in the foyer. "And your daddy loves you too, you guys be nice to him ok?" They nodded simultaneously as they clung to her. Was she making the right choice? Was it the right thing to do? Was she hurting her sons by being away? She swallowed the growing lump in her throat.

"Are you guys ready to go?" She asked them. She and Fitz would have to sit the boys down and talk about their situation in a way their young minds could understand.

"We just need to get our bags". They both ran into the kitchen were their father had just finished clearing up. He had left them in the foyer to give Liv a moment alone with the boys. He absolutely hated this situation and he needed a way to get Liv to come home. But he knew he would have to prove himself and show he could be trusted with her heart.

"Fitz, we are ready to go. So they'll be with me for the next two weeks. Don't forget they have their recital on the Wednesday after this one coming. It starts at 6pm. Don't forget and don't be late".

"Liv, I know. I'll be there. I'd never miss it for the world. They've been practicing their lines with me every day. Their so excited". Fitz walked them to Liv's car. He lifted their bags into the boot, then helped Liv secure the boys into their car seats. Their hands touched for the first time in two weeks as Liv buckled Ben and Fitz buckled Bran from the other side. They looked at each other for a moment until Liv broke eye contact. She got into the driver's seat. Fitz kissed the boys goodbye and made them promise to be good for mummy. Just as he was about to walk away, "daddy kiss mummy goodbye like always". Ben chimed. He was always the cheeky one. The one who was able to create these awkward moments between his parents. Neither Fitz nor Liv could think of a good reason to deny their sons request. Fitz walked over to Liv's window. He leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. He lingered there for a moment wishing for more. Until she, again, broke contact. She gave him a small polite smile and waved him good bye.

Xx xx xx xx xx xx xX

She tried so hard not to let out the tears that were threatening fall over her eyelids. She couldn't tell her husband that she missed him desperately. She couldn't tell him how she cried herself to sleep on most nights. She couldn't tell him how his daily morning and evening texts of love were the highlight of her day. Yes, she had given away the jewellery he bought her. She had given Abby and Quinn what was now probably a forest of flowers that he sent to her daily. She was still hurting and gifts and presents had not appeased her. When he opened the door she wasn't ready to see him. He looked almost child-like. He had let his hair grow. It hung over his face in unruly curls that reached his eyebrows. He had stubble, weekend stubble as he like to call it. For a moment she wanted to touch his face. He looked so casually sexy in his grey sweats and Harvard t-shirt that she had spent so many a night in. But his eyes were dim. They looked how she felt. Like a light had gone out of them. She had thought of using her key but it felt weird for some reason, plus knocking gave her a few moments to catch her breath. "Liv what's wrong with you, Fitz is your husband" she had chided herself as she pulled at the edges of her black coat trying to straighten out non-existent creases. It felt strange having Fitz open the door to her like she was some stranger. "Had she made herself a stranger to her own home?" The fleeting thought had pulsed through her mind. She shook it off. She needed time away to figure herself out. She shook the thoughts and discomfort off. She drove the boys to school. Arriving there just after 10 am. She then drove herself to work. She wasn't looking forward to being in the office today. She wanted to go home and curl up in bed. She wanted to curl up in Fitz's arms. She missed him dearly. His eyes, his smile, his scent. And oh how she wanted him. But the voice of her heartbreak was stronger. It spoke over everything else until all she could think of was that woman's voice screaming yes, yes, yes.

She arrived at her office.

"Hey Liv, you have Jake Ballard in your office". Abby called out as Liv whizzed past. Liv stopped in her tracks and stepped back and into Abby's office.

"Was that today? Gosh I'm not in the mood". She whined.

Abby chuckled. "What's up with you today? Not feeling it, wanting to go and do the horizontal tango with that chunk of hunk that is Fitzgerald Cobra Grant the third".

"Abbyyyy", Liv gasped incredulously.

Liv hadn't told Abby the extent of her issues with Fitz. She just wasn't ready for her to weigh in. She didn't want Abby to hate Fitz because ultimately, Olivia loved Fitz and would never allow him to get hurt, even by the protectiveness of her friends. She had, however told Abby that it was something serious enough for her to move to the penthouse for a while. Abby had not pried any further but she could tell Liv was hurting deeply so she made sure to keep the conversations light hearted as much as she could. When Liv was ready she would open up. In the mean time she and Quinn were enjoying the flowers and jewellery.

"Come on, stop pretending". Abby playfully chided. "You never give me detail but you forget I've seen you two countless times. Remember in college, that day when Sigma Kai had their luau, and he came back from the navy. Gosh Harrison and I found you two going at it in the kitchen like it was the last thing you'd ever do on earth. When I saw it I thought I'd go blind I'd never seen a thing that big, Harrison was jealous". At this point Abby was doubling over in laughter and Liv was mortified as the memory came filtering into her brain.

"Abby, how am I supposed to do any work now?" Liv covered her face in embarrassment then she walked towards her office. She remembered that day clearly.

Xx xx xx xx xx xx xX

**Flashback : 10 years ago**

_Liv was bored out of her mind. She was at a party, well, a luau organised by Melody Pearson. It would have been more fun if they played hip hop and R'n'B but no, they had to play 1950s music circa "dirty dancing". She was bored. The drinks were non-alcoholic so as to hold up the "standards of the sisterhoods" so she couldn't even drown her sorrows. There was only one person who could change her mood but he was thousands of miles away flying jets over some godforsaken country. Fitz had been gone six months. It was going to be his last tour then he would leave the navy. She couldn't wait for that day to come. They'd been together for only six months before he left. She knew he'd be back any day now but he couldn't give her the exact details because it hadn't been settled with his commanding officer. She was looking forward to the day she wouldn't have to wait on a satellite phone call once in a while. She was waiting for the day she didn't have to worry about his safety and she could watch the news without being afraid of seeing his face as one of the casualties. They were coming up to their one year anniversary. She was twenty and he was ten years her senior and they loved each other fiercely._

_"Abby I'm going back home I'm so bored". Liv complained._

_"Ok. No problem. I met this guy, his name is Stephen I think. He's a lawyer or something. Besides Harrison's around so I'll be fine. See you back at the flat"._

_With that, Liv made her way back home. The weather was humid and hot in California and it was only the end of May. They were done with their exams so there was a party to go to nearly every night. All of which Abby had been to and only a few that she had managed to drag Liv to, although under protest. She walked into the house she shared with Abby and Quinn and kicked her shoes off. She turned on her radio and Otis Redding crooned through the speakers. She smiled. It reminded her of her mother. She wondered where Fitz was and what he was doing. She hoped he was safe. He was probably asleep or getting ready to wake up. It would be close to dawn where he was. She missed him dearly. She went to shower and get ready for an early night after which she lay in her bed reading a book and just as sleep was beginning to pull her under she heard a knock at the door. With an irritated sigh she got out of bed and dragged herself to the door. The person knocked the door again a little louder._

_"Geez I'm on my way. Give me a chance to get to the door will you!" Olivia yelled, she was not amused. She knew it was probably one of Abby's many conquests hoping for another chance with her. "They never lear..." Her voice caught in her throat as she swung the door open forcefully. The person at the door was not at all who she expected._

_She let out a scream that could wake the dead. She hurled herself into his arms and clung onto him for dear life. It was Fitz._

_"You're here, ...you're here. ...How are you here? I don't care...you're here..." She squealed with delight while planting kisses all over his face._

_He laughed, "oh my god Livvie, I missed you baby, I missed you so much"._

_He dropped his bags and let her wrap her legs around his waist. He held her to himself in a grip that the Jaws of Life would struggle to extricate her from. He was in his navy fatigues, his hair was cut short and he looked so wonderful._

_They stood there at the door and kissing each other longingly for what felt like forever and for both of them that was just not enough. Fitz broke their kiss and Liv protested with a groan. Fitz laughed," baby I think let's get in the house before we give the neighbours a show" he said. The minute they were in the house Fitz kicked the door shut and hoisted Liv up against the said door. Their hands were everywhere, searching each other's bodies, their mouths were meshed together, their tongues swirling against each other in sloppy hungry kisses. She stripped him naked as fast as she could. He ripped off his Harvard t-shirt from her body leaving her in her panties. He pulled out of their searing kiss for a moment, "I've missed you so much baby, you have no idea". He said as he looked deeply into her eyes. She had no words to express her feelings so she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and pulled him back to her, kissing him deeply. His fingers were playing havoc with her core. She was grinding against him, her legs locked around his waist. "Mmmmh,...,,,,,Fitz baby... Aaammmhh...I ... Want you...now, I can't wait", she moaned into his kisses. He smiled at her eagerness as he swiftly carried her over to the nearby couch. He ripped her panties off revealing her slicked up sex. He sat her on the back spine of the couch. He pressed into her gently at first. "Oh...my...go..." He couldn't finish his sentence as he held his breath, her walls pressing in tightly on his erection, short circuiting his brain. It had been so long. He had missed her. He had missed this. Her body, her scent, her voice, her breath on his skin, her intense love,...and oh my... Her tightness. She clawed at his back as he submerged his hard self into her warm tenderness. They looked at each other, panting out in desire, their bodies bonded together in exquisite pleasure. She had missed him. She had missed his masculinity, his musky manly scent, his strong arms holding her tightly making her feel safe, the feeling of him buried deeply inside her, stretching her in a way only he could. Nothing could compare to it. No one could compare to him. He grabbed onto her ass as he pushed deeply into her, stilling for a moment to catch his breath. "Aaaa...oh my ...Fitz..." Her thighs were spread as wide as possible allowing him to bury himself in her until there was no space left between them. They both stilled, taking in each other's presence. He held her body still as he began to move his hips, driving strong, powerful, gentle strokes into her at such a languid pace she thought she'd pass out from the pleasure. She stuck her tongue out of her beautifully shaped mouth and he licked it. They did this over and over, turning each other even more. Their eyes set on each other's. They nibbled on each other's lips as their lower halves moved rhythmically. They grunted and groaned and hissed each other's names out as their orgasms caught hold of them simultaneously. Their bodies quivered and shook against each other as they hummed each other's names and sex filled sweat drenched their bodies. Somehow they both knew the night had only just begun. They looked at each other and laughed. "I love you", they both as said at the same time, their foreheads touching. He picked her up off the spine of the couch and carried her to the kitchen, setting her on the counter. He rifled through her fridge until he found some juice. He took a sip from the box and she laughed. He strolled over to her in his glorious nakedness and offered her a drink. "You should really use a cup for that, it's not mine it's Abby's and who knows where her lips have been" she said as she giggled. "Oh my gosh" he laughed in response and turned to grab a glass. She grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him back to her. He stood between her legs, his back to her front. She ran her dainty fingers over his muscled chest with one hand while the other reached for his lower regions while she kissed his shoulders, the nape of his neck, between his shoulder blades as her nipples rubbed gently against his back. He groaned at her gentle touch. He turned his head to the side and pulled her face towards him and kissed her. They were so lost in their moment that they didn't hear the noise from outside the front door, neither did they hear the keys turn the lock, nor did they hear the footsteps approaching the kitchen until a scream knocked them out of their cloudy haze. There stood Abby, Harrison and Quinn, gawking in shock at a very naked and erect Fitzgerald Grant being gently stroked by a very naked and pert Olivia Pope. "Oh my god" a mortified Liv hid her face behind Fitz. He on the other hand responded with, "Oh shit...", as he did his best to hide his rather large appendage with his hands until Liv handed him a tea towel. " oh my god", Abby was howling with laughter. The fact that she was drunk wasn't helping. "Harrison do you see the size of that monster. Liv, how do you do it?" Harrison promptly grabbed Abby and dragged her out of the kitchen. Quinn was simply too shocked to say a thing. She had never seen a naked man before in the flesh. Definitely not one who looked like Fitzgerald Grant. Fitz turned to Liv with a smug look on his face. "I'd say you take me rather well, wouldn't you agree?" she playfully punched him. She kissed him and slipped off the kitchen counter and onto his back. He carried her to her bedroom where they made life long memories for rest the night_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 **

**Monday continued**

Fitz entered his office at 2 that afternoon. He really wasn't in the mood for work but he had an empire to run. He felt so lonely thinking about going back home to an empty house. He had never been alone in their house since they moved in. Olivia had always been there. They had decorated the house together, they had chosen the furniture, the drapes and everything else together. They had designed their boys' rooms together, they had never been apart except for business meetings in other cities or countries. Even then they constantly skyped, video called and texted each other constantly. They didn't know how to be apart. He definitely didn't know how to be apart from her. And now that the twins were with her he had no idea how he would survive the next two weeks alone. Maybe he would bury himself in work, or maybe he would take some time off work. "And do what though?", he thought to himself. The only things he ever did were with Liv or involved Liv. He didn't know what to do without her. "You're a grown man, you can entertain yourself for a few days, come on", he admonished himself. But did he want to do stuff alone? He wasn't sure. "Lauren!" He called out. Lauren came into his office a few seconds later.

"Sir?"

"What's on my schedule today?"

"Well I wasn't sure if you were coming in today so I cleared your morning appointments. You have a meeting with Cyrus at 3, then you're basically free after that". She pointed at his calendar on her mini Ipad.

"Ok". He responded drably.

"Sir?"

"What?" He raised his brows.

Lauren had heard an unsettling rumour that afternoon at lunch. She liked Mr. Grant. He was a good boss. Grant Oil was a good company to work for. She liked Mrs Grant. She was a very kind woman who treated her like a person and took real interest in her wellbeing. She didn't like the things she was hearing. She thought it best to give him a heads up but she didn't know how to broach the subject. She stood there for a moment hesitating on whether to say what she had on her mind or walk out and mind he own business. He watched her intently. Wondering at the war that seemed to be going on in her mind.

"Lauren, are you going to tell me what's on your mind...is everything ok, are you ok, your husband, your father?" Fitz asked, getting a bit worried.

"Oh no, I'm sorry sir, I'm fine, they're all fine...it's just..." She stammered.

He stood from his chair and walked towards her. He leaned on the front of his desk and folded his arms across his chest. She moved towards the door.

"Lauren, what's going on", he was getting more confused by her demeanour.

"Oh no, sir, I just need to close the door because I don't want anyone to hear what I'm about to ask you in case there's no merit to any of it. You see, I've worked for you for a long time, since you took over from your dad in fact ..." She rambled on.

"Lauren, I know this already, what's going on?" He was getting worried as he had every right to be. What she said next had him wanting to throw a punch at something.

"Well, I'm going to just say it. There a rumour going around amongst the secretaries and PAs that you slept with one of them. I'm only telling you so that you know because I know you'd never do anything like that to Mrs G. There've been a lot of girls who've shown interest in you in the past but I've seen how you've handled them. So I told the girl who told me to shut up and take a hike but she was adamant that it was the truth. I'm sorry sir".

Fitz put on his best poker face, he cleared his throat with a cough and smiled at Lauren. "Thanks for telling me about this Lauren. Don't worry about it. I'll deal with it. Let me know if anything more is said. And please let me know who's saying it. But thank you".

"Ok, I feel better now, see you later sir, if there's anything else you need from me I'll be at my desk". With that Lauren left Fitz's office and returned to her desk.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Olivia sat across from Jake Ballard in her office.

"I'll be going to Johannesburg in a week. I need to get the ball rolling on this contract. I need to get the deal signed as soon as possible". His green eyes gleamed.

My team has made contact with Von Strauss and first appearances he seems to be above board. He's had no problems with South African authorities. I have my man looking further into his dealings. I should be able to work out an amiable contract for you by the weeks end".

"Oh, I've spoken to Von Strauss, he's not keen to sign in my absence hence my trip to South Africa. I told him I'd be bringing my attorney with me to make the final contract". He smiled, hoping she would acquiesce. Olivia was not impressed. She didn't like people making plans for her.

"Mr Ballard. I don't appreciate you making plans for me. You are my client. I tell you what I will and will not do and not the other way around. I will not be going to South Africa next week with you. I have children to take care of and other clients to attend to and I need to talk to my husband first". She huffed.

He had assumed she wouldn't like it so he had expected that she might not be happy. He had a contingency plan in case she refused to go with him and just like clockwork her office phone rang. "Olivia Pope" she answered. "Hello, this is Mr Von Strauss. I believe you are the attorney to Mr Ballard. If so I am expecting you in Johannesburg in a few days. A courier should be delivering all the information about your flight and accommodation. I just want to make sure everything is to your liking. I want to thank you again for taking the time out of your busy schedule. I will be seeing in ten days then. Keep well Miss Pope". Then the man hung up the phone before Olivia could get a word in. She was livid. "I do not appreciate being bull dozed like this Mr Ballard. This is unacceptable, now I have no choice but to make the journey".

Jake thanked his lucky stars. He would have to send Strauss a bottle if some expensive wine. He had played his part so well. Now he was guaranteed some alone time with thee Olivia Pope. He would win her over, her husband be damned.

"I really do apologise Miss Pope". Jake said in his most charming voice. He smiled at her.

She sighed deeply as she stopped pacing round and round in circles that were sure to make him dizzy if she continued. Her shoulders slumped as she let go of her annoyance and frustration. She was going to have to fly out the Thursday morning after Ben and Brandon's recital. That meant she had to call Fitz and arrange their schedules. Maybe she should just move back home and work things out with her husband. Maybe give him a chance. She had forgotten that Jake was in the room until he cleared his throat. "Are you ok Miss Pope?"

"Oh, sorry, I just find myself with a number of things to move around thanks to you Mr Ballard". She said stoically.

"Again, I apologise, how can I make it up to you? I have an idea. How about we work in the last of the paper work over dinner". He feigned innocence. He hoped after spending some time with him she would be falling for him just as he had fallen for the very day they met. He knew she was married. She was married to a Mr Grant. He was probably some boring sap. He was ready to show the woman who stood in front of him a good time if only she could see things his way. He smiled a bright smile at her. Olivia thought about it for a bit. They did have quite a pile of papers to go through. Mostly to do with international and South African law. And honestly she was not in the mood to be in the office. It would give her an excuse to leave the office early and spend time with her boys.

"Ok Mr Ballard, we can work from my home office. Say 6pm tonight". Jake rose from his seat and shook her hand and left her office.

"Abby, working dinner tonight at the pent house with Jake Ballard. Please bring all the paper work so we can just lock this thing down tonight". Olivia fired off into her her phone. "I think I'll leave early today, but I'll see you at 6pm at my place".

"Sure Liv, no problem". Abby replied then hung up and went about her work.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Fitz was irate. He was pissed the hell off. What the hell was Anna playing at? What was she playing at talking about him with other employees in the building? This thing had become the bane of his existence and he needed to extinguish the flames before things got worse. He called John his second in command. He was going to have to tell him what was going on.

"Hey Fitz, what's going on?" John asked as he sat across Fitz in his office.

"I need to talk to you about something. I kinda messed up a few weeks ago". Fitz gazed at the floor between him and John. He was embarrassed to have to open up about his personal life to his subordinate but John was more than that, he was his best friend.

"What's going on Fitz", John asked, concern etched on his face.

"I screwed... Gosh I can't believe I'm even saying this out loud...I screwed someone and I think they're gonna be trouble". He said it quickly, like pulling of a bandage, as if his words would have less impact.

"WHAT...what do you mean you screwed someone, what about Liv?" John was shocked. He looked at his friend incredulously. "What do you mean Fitz, cause if this is a joke it's so not funny, does Liv know, are you going to tell her, what the hell were you thinking man?" John felt his anger stir. He got up from his seat and started pacing. "She could take you for all you've got you know, she could wipe you out, she could take the kids, you guys don't have a pre-nup. What were you thinking?"

"I know, I know, I really fucked up, I know". Fitz answered in exasperation. "And yes she knows, she found out before I had a chance to tell her, she moved out to the pent house". Fitz frowned as he thought of the mess he had created and it seemed things were not about to die down. "That's why I came to see you. The girl, she's telling people about it. I don't know what she's playing at. She's been making not so subtle hints at me since it happened. It was a onetime thing, it wasn't an affair, she caught me in a weak moment now she won't let go. But I can't have her telling people, I don't know what she wants".

"Well, have you asked her what she wants?" John asked as he came back to his seat with two glasses of scotch in his hands. He handed one to Fitz.

"To be honest I've been avoiding her. I don't even want to be in the same room as her. I don't know how to resolve this. But I need to. So I'm thinking I should call her over here, talk to her with you in the office, and try to find a way to move forward from all this". Fit explained his thinking.

"That sounds like a plan, who is she by the way?"

"Her name is Anna, she's ..."

"Oh damn, Edison's girl", John interrupted. "She's a crazy one, you just had to go for that one Fitz". John laughed. He had heard some stories about her.

"What do you mean Edison's girl, she's his PA".

"Oh, and they had a thing for a while before he ditched her. She was eating him out of house and home, Edison told me, I can't believe you went there". John continued to laugh.

"It's not funny John", Fitz was feeling aggravated. He felt even more stupid. He had let this woman into his life, wrecking his family for what. Finding out he was a conquest to her made him seethe. Not that he cared about her either way. He was angrier with himself for having even looked at her in the first place.

"Ok, call her", John said after his laughter had settled.

Call her he did.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Anna was so excited as she made her way to Grant Oil. Maybe her dreams were about to come true after all. Lauren announced her arrival. She entered Fitz's office with a smile that was quickly quashed by the presence of John and a woman she didn't know.

"Hi Anna. Please take a seat", Fitz offered her a seat on his office couch. This is John whom you know, this is Maria, she's part of the legal team in human resources.

"Ok, I don't understand", Anna said. She knew perfectly what could have caused her to be called to this meeting. She was too excited to keep her mouth shut during her lunch break.

"Everyone in here knows about what happened between us. I called you in here to ask you to stop talking about it and causing rumours in my company and Edison's for that matter. This is a gag order, you will sign it and this whole thing will be over". Fitz handed her the papers.

"Is there anything you'd like to say Miss Summer", asked Maria.

"I'm not signing this, I'll tell your wife, you can't shut me up". Anna was angry.

"My wife already knows". Fitz said, with an edge to his voice.

"You're the one who came after me", she lied, forced tears welling up in her eyes. "I tried to stop him, but he was relentless. I felt powerless", Anna sobbed as she looked at Maria and John for sympathy. She received non. "He pursued me, I tried, I tried to turn him down". She sobbed.

Fitz stood up. His mouth agape. He could not believe the things this woman was saying. He was about to speak when Maria stopped him and asked. "If he force himself on you, or pursued you as you claim, why have you been telling, Susan, Tamia and Amy that he's the best you ever had?" An intake of breath could be heard as Anna was stunned to hear she been betrayed by her so called friends. She would find a way to get back at them. "I was just trying to turn a bad situation around, make light of it you know". She said as she dabbed at her false tears. "Would anyone believe me if I told them the truth. If I told them he's a predator. I'm just a PA and he's Fitzgerald Thomas Grant the Third, one of the richest men in the country".

"Miss Summer, I have given you an opportunity to tell the truth but you have lied to me. I have a recording that shows you were the aggressor towards Mr Grant, that you forced yourself on him. That indeed you wanted more of him. That's why I'm encouraging you to sign these papers so you can still keep your job.

"2 million dollars and I'll shut up". Anna realised her plan was defeated. But she wouldn't leave with nothing.

Maria, John and Fitz looked at each other. They had made a contingency for this eventuality.

"2 million dollars or I go to the newspapers and magazines and make your life hell". She spoke with disdain and vehemence.

Fitz nodded his head yes to John and Maria. "2 million dollars. And if we hear anything at all in this building or anywhere else about this, you will have to pay this money back and I will destroy you". Fitz said, not mincing his words.

The meeting was adjourned.

Anna was royally pissed off. She stomped her heels back to her office and threw herself onto her chair broodily. She had to come up with a plan. 2 million dollars was just not enough. Fitzgerald Grant had it coming. He would see things her way and soon.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hang on everyone, this story is totally Olitz endgame, but as we all know, the road to redemption is not an easy one, for anyone.**

**XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX**

Fitz felt relieved. He ignored the niggling feeling that this wasn't over by a long shot. He was simply relieved. He could now concentrate on getting his family back together. He would do it in baby steps. Tonight he would surprise his wife with a take away dinner and lilies but first he would go home and shower and wash away all the days crazy events.

Xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xX

Jake Ballard arrived at Liv's pent house a little after 6pm, Abby was already there. They were all in Liv's office going over the final contracts for Jake's mine in South Africa. Liv was worried about the employees' wages. She didn't like the figures that Von Strauss had come up with. She knew that in some places workers were paid next to nothing in comparison to the amount of work that was expected of them. She didn't want to be associated with that kind of exploitation. This had become a sticking point. A number of phone calls were made; a number of conversations were had. By the end of it Liv had managed to get quite a considerable addition of funds to the wages. There were still some issues with the town council but Von Strauss had assured them it would be handled once they arrived in South Africa. Liv couldn't help but feel like there was more to the story and there was a ploy to get her to South Africa. She just had to make sure her team did all their research on Von Strauss and Jake Ballard.

It was nearly 9pm when Abby announced that she had to get going. It was way beyond Kevin's bed time. He was in the play room with the twins. It had been a nice opportunity for the boys to play together. "Besides, David's waiting for me", Abby said. "Liv, can I see you a minute?",

"What is it Abby?" Liv asked once they were out of Jake's earshot.

"Are you Ok with me leaving you with Jake? Should I call David and I spend the night?"

"No, Abby, don't be silly. There's no need for that. I'm sure he'll be leaving in a minute. He has no reason to stay. We still have afew things to tie up but I'm sure he'll be going too in a minute. But thanks for worrying". Liv gave Abby a hug. They both made their way to the kids play room. The boys were all splayed across the floor haphazardly in sleep. The two of them tucked the twins in and then woke Kevin up from his slumber. Liv waved Abby off at the door. Jake on the other hand made himself busy with opening a bottle of wine he had brought with him. He moved some of their paperwork to the lounge. When Liv turned back to return to the office she was surprised to see a very relaxed Jake Ballard offering her a glass of red wine as he sat comfortably on the couch.

"Jake what are you doing, the meeting is over".

He gave her a disarmingly charming smile. She relented a little and took the glass from him.

"I just wanted to apologise again for putting you in this position. I didn't mean to put you under so much pressure. But if we go there, get it all done, you'll be back in New York in a week, unless you'd want to stay longer of course. Cape Town is beautiful at this time of the year". He sat on the couch, some inches from her.

"I accept your apology. Do you mind if I turn on the TV? We can continue to work on a few things I guess because I definitely will not be staying longer than a week in South Africa, I do have children and husband after all". Liv emphasized the word 'husband' because she suspected he was hitting on her.

They worked as they watched some TV. The Mindy Project was playing and they laughed at the same points of the show. Anyone walking in on them would have thought they'd been friends for years. By the time the episode ended it was 10pm. Liv was tired. They were still going through papers and discussing a few points of concern about the South African venture. Liv close her eyes a little, just needing a little rest.

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When Fitz arrived home he decided to do some cleaning first. Having twin 4 year olds in the house meant everything was everywhere. He tried to be a hands on dad so he used maids very minimally. Looking at the playroom and their bedrooms right then had him thinking that maybe it was a mistake to have sent the maid home. He started clearing up and packing clothes and toys away. There was a pile of washing that needed to be done. Maybe he could get one load done before he left to see Liv. She had shown him how to work the washer dryer. His mother would be so proud of him. He smiled to himself as he picked up his children's clothes as well as his own and headed to the laundry room. By the time he had cleaned up, put in the washing and showered it was after 8pm. By the time he got dressed he was starting to talk himself out of going to the pent house. Was he being presumptuous? Would Liv want to see him? Was he ready for the rejection if she sent him away? He was sitting on the bed pondering on what to do. He thought of all the possibilities. "I shouldn't go" he said to himself. But he missed his wife. He couldn't help himself. The silence of the house was almost eerie and he needed her voice. He needed her laughter. He simply needed her. He dropped the idea about dinner. She was probably getting ready for bed by now. He got in his SUV, flowers in hand, and pulled away from his house. He didn't notice the black Jaguar that had followed him from work. He didn't notice the woman in a black trench coat who stepped out of it.

Fitz made his way up to the pent house. He was nervous. He never in his life thought he'd be nervous about seeing his own wife but he was. He walked towards the door. He knocked lightly. No answer came. He unlocked the door and entered. It was his home after all. He heard the noise of the TV coming from the lounge. "Liv" He called out tentatively. He kept walking in. He came into the lounge and there was his wife, lying on the couch asleep, her head resting on the shoulder of the man who had his arm draped around her.

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"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" Olivia Pope was shaken awake by the thunderous voice of Fitzgerald Grant. It took a few seconds for her to get her bearings. She had fallen asleep and next to her was none other than a fearful looking Jake Ballard who was scrambling to get up. It was right for him to fear because while Fitz was a gentle and loving husband he could easily pummel Jake to the ground. He had not lost his Navy skills. Olivia stared up in shock at her irate husband. It looked bad. She knew it. It looked really, really bad.

"What the hell is going on here and who the hell are you?" Fitz thundered as he approached Jake. Fitz looked in the green eyes of the strange man who dared touch his wife in his house.

"Fitz, stop, it's not what it looks like". Even as she said it she knew the words were a cliche and he would not be convinced. "You should have called, you should have knocked". She said hastily. Jake realised the tension between the pair. A small smug smile appeared on his face as he looked on at Fitz. Big mistake. In two swift steps Fitz had reached Jake and Liv knew exactly what was going to happen. A swift punch landed on Jake's face followed by another. Blood splattered from the man's face as he fell to the floor. Fitz was about to lunge at him for the third time.

"FITZ, oh my god, stop. What's the matter with you?" Olivia yelled as she rushed to Jake's side. "I told you nothing happened. I think you better leave".

Fitz stood there in shock as he glared at Liv. He couldn't believe she was chasing him out of his own home to see to some smug bastard who had the nerve to disrespect him that way.

"Daddy".

A voice sounded from behind the couch. It was Benjamin. He was crying.

"See what you've done Fitz", she rushed over to Ben.

Fitz turned around and headed to his son. He picked him up before Liv got to him, although his knuckles hurt like hell. Fitz knew his son had seen what he had done. He felt bad but he wasn't going to allow another man to disrespect him in his own home. This night was not going how he had planned. "Hey sport, don't cry. Everything's ok".

"Fitz" Liv called out.

"He turned back to Liv and glared at her. He was furious. She kept silent. He turned around and carried Ben back to his bedroom. There he found a crying Brandon. Both his sons were very upset and so was he. He wished he had the patience to have dealt with things in a better way. But the smug smile on that son of a bitches face just did something to him. "Hey guys everything's ok. It's ok".

"B'b'b'but daddy you hit someone". Ben cried.

"And you said hitting is bad", a weepy Brandon added.

Neither of them had ever seen their daddy being violent towards anyone. Fitz was always full of smiles and laughter around them. The boys were shocked and upset.

"I know. I shouldn't have done that. I don't want you guys doing that. It wasn't a good thing daddy did. It won't happen again ok" he held them both until they calmed down. He laid them back in their beds and tucked them in, promising to take them out the next day. "I'm going to go now. I love you guys so much. Never forget that ok".

"Ok" they both said in unison. Fitz didn't bother to look for Olivia. She had chosen to take care of the man she was with. His heart was hurting and he was angry. Nothing rational would come out of his mouth if he tried to speak to her now. He walked out of the pent house not knowing what he was going to do next.

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Olivia took Jake to the kitchen. She was quietly cleaning the cut to his face. "Your husbands a bit of an asshole". Jake exclaimed.

Olivia stopped what she was doing and dropped the antiseptic she had onto the kitchen counter. She took a step away from him. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that, he's your husband" Jake sighed.

"No you shouldn't have said that and I'm not going to let you disrespect him. I saved your life today. If he had his way you'd be on your death bed right now. It's late. I think you better leave".

Olivia realised the mistake she had made by running to Jake's side. Things already looked bad when Fitz saw them on the couch. Her running to save Jake rather than talk to Fitz had probably not helped the matter. Once Jake left she called Rosa the nanny to come and watch the kids. It was late but she had to go after Fitz. She would explain and hopefully he would see that nothing happened. A small part of her felt good though. He had experienced a little of the hurt she had when she discovered he had cheated. Now he knew what it was like to be betrayed. She felt guilty about her feelings but she couldn't deny their existence even though nothing had happened with Jake. "And what was Jake doing wrapping his arm around my shoulder?" She thought to herself. As much as she and Fitz were not getting along at the moment she still saw some hope for their marriage. Liv checked on the boys. They had fallen back to sleep. When the nanny arrived, Liv got into her SUV and drove to the brownstone in search of her husband.

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Anna had roamed the house from room to room. She had seen the pictures of Fitz and his family hanging from the walls. She had seen more on the mantelpiece. The house was large and beautiful. She wanted her own pictures on these walls. She had seen the boys' rooms. She sat on their beds and rifled through their books. She had inhaled the scent of their clothes and felt her uterus quiver. She imagined herself pregnant with Fitz's child. She had walked into one of the rooms across from those of the boys . There was the distinct scent of Fitz. Whatever cologne he used. She had walked towards the bed and lay on it. She saw a picture of him and Liv on the night stand. They looked happy. She was a beautiful woman. She looked familiar somehow. Anna had knocked the picture over, breaking the picture frame. She had continued her tour of the house. She had finally ended up in the master bedroom. It had a beautiful large king sized mahogany bed. The room had a large his and hers en-suite bathroom. It was bigger than her entire condo, she thought to herself. She could live pretty well in a place like this. From her bag she took rose petals and sprinkled them all over the bedroom floor. She had lit some scented candles and placed them on the night stand. She opened the water in the bathtub and fixed herself a bubble bath. She played music from the iPod docked in the bedroom; Probably Fitz's selection of music. She had come out of the tub and wrapped herself in a soft Egyptian cotton gown that hung in the bathroom. She had slipped on her black netted stalking and her red corset and red thong. She had lay in Fitz and Liv's bed and waited.

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Fitz didn't know what to do with himself. He'd been driving around for a while. He didn't want to go home just yet because he knew he'd probably end up breaking anything that reminded him of Olivia in that very moment. He saw a bar he had never been to before. He needed a drink. He walked in and headed right to the bar tender. "Scotch please". He hadn't looked up so he didn't realise he had seen the man at the bar before. The bar tender quietly handed him his scotch. He took a few gulps and finished the contents of the glass. "Another one please". The bar tender placed another glass full of scotch in front of him. He took his time with the second one. His mind was whirring. "Is this the end of my marriage? Is Liv in a relationship with that guy, does this mean she's never coming home? Should I draw up divorce papers? That last sentence made him gulp down a large portion if his drink. He couldn't bear the thought of being without Liv. But it seemed like she was moving on. Maybe in the end he had to let her go. But how could it end this easily, this quickly. No. It wouldn't end. He loved his wife. And somewhere inside she loved him too. She had to because if she didn't, what was the point of his life. He gave an audible sigh. He ran his palms over his face. "What the hell is happening to my life?" He said, not noticing he had said it out loud.

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Huck had noticed him when he came in. The rich guy who cheated on his wife. Fitzgerald Grant. Huck had done his research. He was the son of a former California senator. His father had done well for the state but he also had an eye for the ladies. He had two mistresses during his marriage. It was sad to see sons follow in their father's footsteps when the direction wasn't a good one. There Fitz sat. He resembled a wet dog. He looked so sad and forlorn. His knuckles showed he had done some damage to someone's face. "Hopefully not his wife" Huck thought to himself.

"Bad night?" Huck motioned towards his knuckles. "You're going to need some ice for that".

"Oh this, Ice would be great thanks". Fitz looked at the man for the first time. "Oh, it's you". He gave the man a small smile that didn't go anywhere near his eyes.

"Yeah, it's me. It seems you Grants are becoming regular patrons of this place" Huck mused. "So whose face was on the receiving end of that" Huck asked as he bagged the iced for Fitz to use.

"Some asshole". Fitz looked at Huck's suspicious eyes. "Oh you thought...I would never do that. I'm not that guy. My mother would kill me if I touched a woman that way".

Huck smiled. "I'm glad. I was about to show you a world of pain if your fists had touched that beautiful wife of yours". 'My drunken father experienced that world of pain when he beat my mother to near death' Huck said to himself.

"You never have to worry about that". It was amusing to Fitz how Liv always seemed to be able to provoke a protectiveness over her by all kinds of men. He felt exactly the same way about her.

"Trouble in paradise still?" Fitz lifted his brow at the question. It was kind of presumptuous of this stranger to ask such a personal question. "Come on. I'm a bar tender. People tell me loads of stuff. How do you think I was able to drive your wife home to you last time. She told me". Huck smirked.

Fitz sighed. Would he ever live his stupidity down? "Yea. It was not my finest moment. I'm trying to make up for it though" It was easy to talk to this stranger. There were no expectations and no pressure. "I think she's through though".

"I can't believe that" Huck said. "She loves you".

"I found her in some assholes arms, hence the knuckles". Fitz sighed. His eyes looked into the distance. He could not believe his life had come to this.

"Whoa. Ok. Now I understand".

"Yeah. I've never met the son of a bitch but there was something about him. He was so smug. And she ran to his side".

"You know how the ladies are. They think with their hearts. She probably only ran to him to save him from a lifetime of eating through a straw, not because she prefers him to you. Give her some time. She'll be back".

Huck didn't know what had come over him. These two people were pulling at his heart strings and he felt a stirring for both of them. "I wonder who the asshole is" he mused to himself. "Maybe it's time to dust off the old spy hat".

"Maybe you're right. Anyhow, I better go, it's pretty late. I have an early day tomorrow. What's your name by the way?"

"Vincenzo. But call me Huck"

"Well Huck, thanks for today and thanks for last time, hopefully next time my wife or I see you it will be under better circumstances". Fitz paid his bill. They shook hands and he headed home.

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Olivia drove up to the house. A few lights were on. "Thank God he's home". She thought to herself. This time she used her key. She hoped he had calmed down enough for them to talk. She could hear music playing from their bedroom as she made her way up the stairs. She smiled a little. It was the sound track to their wedding day. She smiled at the thought of Fitz playing their songs when she wasn't there. There was hope for their marriage yet. She made her to the door. She opened it and walked in.

"I was starting to wonder if you were ever coming back baby", a woman's voice said from their California King bed. Olivia froze. Her blood ran cold. There on her bed was a woman clothed in a red corset. Her bedroom she shared with her husband was aglow with candle light, and scattered with red rose petals.

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**What to do with Anne, crazy chic hey?**


End file.
